Archive of Our Own ^beta

Tifa & Hikaru were walking down the street together one day. “Hey thanks for taking me out today, Tifa!” Hikaru told her. “Not a problem, buddy! It’s been a while since we’ve had time together!” Tifa replied. “Yes it has!” Hikaru added. “Hey, do you know what happened to Hangman? I barely see him at the bar anymore.” she asked. “Honestly, I don’t know. He just stopped showing up one day.” Tifa answered, “I hope he’s OK.” she added. Suddenly, a brown haired girl was running down the street very quickly and almost bumped into them. “Hey, are you OK there?” Tifa asked her as she stopped in front of them. “C...c...can you please hide me?!” the girl asked nervously as she hid behind them. “Um...well...sure...we can help you with that!” Tifa answered with hesitation. Shortly after, two guys ran up the street & stopped in front of them as well. “Eh! You seen a little girl about yea high with brown hair?” one of them asked while holding a hand up to indicate her size. “Kinda looked like a biker chick too?” The other one asked. “No...we haven’t seen anyone like that.” Tifa responded to them. “Oh yeah? We’ll who’s right behind ya?!” One of the men asked. “We don’t know what you are talking about. Also you guys look familiar, have we met each other somewhere?” Hikaru asked. “I don’t know babe, have we?” One of the men shot back. “What do you even want with her?” Tifa asked. “She’s a runaway & the boss wants us to return her ASAP. So hand her over!” The other man replied. “And if we don’t?” Tifa asked as they got ready to fight. “Then we’ll take her by force!” The man said as they prepared to fight. “COME ON! COME ON! YOU WANNA TAKE A SWING AT ME?!” He asked as he approached them. Suddenly, the other guy held out his arm to block his partner. “WHAT IS IT?!” He snapped at him. “Bro, I just recognized that other girl, ain’t she that Shida chick we work with?” The other man asked. “Yeah and?” He asked. “Dude, I seen her matches, she’ll flatten us in 5 seconds.” The other man answered. “So? We can still fight her!” He shot back. “Do you recognize these guys, Hikaru?” Tifa asked her. “I do now. It’s 2.0’s Matt & Jeff.” she responded. Matt tried to take a running shot at Tifa only to be knocked over by her Dolphin kick, while Jeff got Hikaru’s “Katana” to the head. “THIS AIN’T OVER! WE’LL BE BACK!” Matt yelled as they ran off. “Are you OK?” Tifa asked the girl. “Yeah. Thanks for hiding me.” She responded. “Not a problem! I want to take you back with us though so that nobody attempts to grab you again like that.” Tifa said. “...OK. Can I go get something first?” the girl hesitatingly asked. “Sure, we’ll follow you to whatever it is!” Tifa replied.

They arrived back at the bar, “We’re back!” Hikaru said. “Welcome back! Did you two have a nice time together?” Sinon asked as she popped out from the back of the establishment. “Oh, who’s this?” She asked as she noticed the new girl. “This is Akira, we found her while we were out. She was being chased by some of Hikaru’s colleagues and we wanted to take her somewhere safe.” Tifa responded. They all sat down and talked with the girl about what happened, “As I said earlier, I’m Tifa, I run this bar here with my friends Sinon & Hikaru, who you met earlier too.” Tifa said as she introduced herself before introducing the others. “It’s very nice to meet you again!” Hikaru said with a giggle as she waved at the girl. “I’m Sinon, pleased to meet ya!” Sinon said. “It is very nice to meet all of you, I am Akira Kazama.” Akira said to them. “The feeling is mutual, Akira! So if you don’t mind telling us, why were Hikaru’s colleagues chasing you?” Tifa asked her. “I don’t know. My big brother & I were training earlier & then suddenly these people that looked just like those two came in & took over! We tried to fight them off, but they outnumbered us & then my brother told me to run.” Akira told them. “You ran all the way?!” Sinon asked, sounding surprised. “No, I took my motorcycle to town. I thought I had lost them, but they found me walking around and chased me again.” Akira replied. “Oh, that’s why you wanted to get that before we came back.” Tifa added in. “So what’s your next step?” Hikaru asked her. “I need to find help so that I can save my big brother & take back our training area!” Akira responded. “Well, good news is that’s where we come in!” Tifa exclaimed. “You three?” Akira asked. “Yeah! We’re actually a team that helps people in need like you!” Sinon said. “That’s right! I have plenty of friends to help as well!” Hikaru added. “...and this here is our base of operations for it!” Tifa told her. “Oh thank you thank you thank you so much!” Akira said excitedly. “You’re welcome! You can stay here while we make a plan of attack for this!” Tifa told her.

“So…where’s the girl?” A voice asked. “We…ah…we…” Jeff replied. “We ran into a problem.” Matt added. “What do you mean by problem?” the voice asked. “Ya see…we hit an obstacle…” Jeff answered. “A roadblock if you will.” Matt added. “Go on, I’m interested to hear why you had such a problem with a girl half your size…” the voice continued. “Should we tell her?” Matt asked Jeff. “We probably should.” Jeff quickly replied. “We ran into your rival, ah what’s her name again…that uh Shida girl…” Matt said while snapping his thumbs & pointing at the figure. “SHIDA?! HOW DID SHE GET INVOLVED IN THIS?!” The voice yelled. “Well you see…” Matt said. “The girl was hiding behind her…” Jeff added. “...and this other really beautiful girl with a skirt & long black hair too!” Matt continued. “Oh yeah!” Jeff added. “OH YOU IDIOTS!” the voice yelled again. “Hey what did we do?!” Matt asked. “What did you do?! THAT’S HIKARU & HER FRIEND TIFA and you two nitwits couldn’t fight them off & get the girl back! I hired you because you took out Eddie & Jericho, but you couldn’t beat them?! Now they’ll be on our trail!” the voice yelled before grunting. “Nevermind, Reba knows where they are & they probably have her there. She can take Jamie and get her back.” the voice said. “Don’t worry Britt, I’ll do a better job than these knuckleheads did!” Jamie assured her. “Hey now, wait a minute, what about my Men Of The Year?” another voice said. “What about your Men Of The Year, Dan?” Britt asked their manager, Dan Lambert. “They can do the job for you & do it better than these 2.0 clowns did because they are an incredibly successful duo! You know, much like yourself & your girls!” Dan answered. “Oh well, thank you!” Britt said with a chuckle, “..but Jamie won’t fail this mission, so I’m picking her.” she continued. “OH REALLY?! YOU KNOW, I NEVER THOUGHT THE DENTIST WOULD JOIN IN ON THE DISRESPECT THAT MY BOYS GET! ESPECIALLY SINCE YOU GET PASSED OVER FOR THE GIRLS THAT TONY & KENNY LIKE BETTER AND…” Dan yelled at her. “OK OK fine, they can go with Jamie & Reba.” Britt interrupted him. “THANK YOU! So do you also have a plan if this ‘Shida’ does follow us back?” Dan asked. “Don’t worry, I do.” Britt responded. “YES! TIME TO BREAK SOME MORE…” Nyla interjected. “Not you, you have failed me for the last time. I meant her.” Britt interrupted & pointed at “The Professor” Serena Deeb. “HER?! SERIOUSLY?! Aw man…” Nyla said dejectedly.

“So this is the place, huh?” Jamie asked as they arrived at Tifa’s bar. “Yep. This is where they congregate.” Reba responded as they all got out of the car. “Well, are you coming or not?” Jamie asked her. “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Mox & that blue-haired girl got guns! And the others have weapons too! I’m waiting here!” Reba responded. “Oh you wimp! Fine, WE’LL do the job then.” Jamie quipped as they left her & walked into the bar. “Excuse me, sir, we are looking for Tifa & Hikaru. Are they here?” Jamie asked as they walked up to Moxley, who was seated at the bar. “Oh yeah, who’s asking?” Moxley replied as he turned around to see Jamie Hayter & The Men of The Year. “You know, why can’t they just come themselves instead of always sending you goons!” Mox groaned as he got ready to fight. “Hey, you might want to answer her question, MOX.” Scorpio Sky, one of the Men Of The Year guys told him. “Yeah, we’re looking for someone very important here!” Ethan Page, the other Man Of The Year added. “I got this, boys.” Jamie said as she held her hand to them. “OK, I’ll ask you then, where is the girl?” she asked Moxley. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.” Moxley answered. “We heard that your blue-haired friend is hiding someone we are looking for.” Jamie pressed him. “Nope, I haven’t seen anyone different here.” Mox answered. “So then, if it’s just business as normal, you won’t mind if we look around then, right?” Jamie asked him. “Who are you, the police? We aren’t hiding anyone! Now leave before I throw you out.” Mox responded.

“What’s going on out there?” Akira asked as she & Sinon were hanging out in the back. “I don’t know.” Sinon said as she tried to listen to what was happening up front. She got up & used her ability to sense others nearby to see what was happening too. “Wait here.” she told Akira as she walked out. “Moxley? Is everything alright here, Moxley?” She asked as she popped out to see Moxley with a few other people. Jamie grabbed her & held her against the wall. “AHA! THERE YOU ARE! So you're the blue-haired girl that Reba’s so scared of. Hehehe, what a runt.” Jamie said with a chuckle. “Now, where is the girl your friends brought back?” She asked her. Moxley put a gun to her head. “Get your hands off her. RIGHT. NOW.” He said sternly. Jamie looked towards Moxley, “Really? You think that peashooter of yours is going to scare me? Again, I’m not Reba, you know.” She turned back around to see another gun in her face. Sinon held it there before slowly lowering to Jamie’s lower body. “Go ahead. I dare you.” Jamie taunted her. Suddenly, Reba burst in, “Hey, is everything OK? You’ve been here a while.” she asked. In that time, Sinon shot & grazed Jamie which spooked her enough to let go of her, giving her time to immobilize Jamie using the fighting skills that Tifa & Hikaru had taught her after their last adventure. “GO GET THE GIRL! SHE’S PROBABLY IN THE BACK THERE!” Jamie yelled at Reba as she got up. “Right!” Reba yelled as she started running. “Oh no you don’t!” Mox yelled as she ran after her, but was clotheslined by the Men Of The Year. Reba ran out carrying Akira, who was pounding & kicking her. “SINON! HELP!” She yelled. “Go get her! I got this!” Moxley yelled at Sinon. “You got it!” Sinon yelled as she ran after Reba & Jamie. “Come on, boys! Take your best shot!” Moxley taunted them. Sinon ran up to the car they loaded Akira into and jumped in to save her.

In the meantime, Hangman was walking up to the bar, stopping every so often as if he was hesitating actually going there. As he approached it, he saw Jamie Hayter & Reba load a girl into a car with Sinon jumping in behind her. “Hey! HEY!” He yelled as he started running up to them. Sinon was whaling on Jamie Hayter in the car, when she was able to subdue her for a bit, she opened a door and grabbed Akira. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” Akira yelled. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be OK! As soon as you can get up, run back to the bar & tell Tifa and Hikaru what happened. GET READY!” Sinon yelled as she threw Akira out of the moving car. Akira did a stunt roll onto the ground & stopped at the sidewalk. “Of all the times to not have my helmet…” she thought as she got up. “Hey are you ok?” Hangman asked her. The sight of him shocked her and she backed up a bit. “It’s OK! It’s OK! I…I’m a friend of Tifa’s! What happened?” He reassured her. “Those people in that car tried to kidnap me & now they have Sinon!” Akira told him in a frenzy. Moxley ran out of the bar & up to them. “Hangman?” He asked surprisingly. “Hey Mox, what’s up?” He casually said to Moxley. “Hangman, where the heck have you been?” Moxley asked him. “I’ll explain later. Now we have to find out where they took Sinon.” Hangman responded.

Sinon was thrown on the floor in front of everyone. “Jamie…Reba…this is still not who I wanted. WHERE’S THE GIRL?” Britt asked. “And more importantly where are my Men Of The Year?” Dan yelled at them. “Moxley took care of them & then they took me instead!” Sinon replied. “That’s not true! We…” Jamie was about to say before Sinon interrupted, “Oh, would you rather I tell Britt that I beat you senseless & tossed Akira out of the car to save her?” “Reba, is this true?” Britt asked her. Reba moved her hands around nervously & looked like she was trying to say something but couldn’t find the words. “...I…I…I…I mean if Riho can beat her, it’s definitely a possibility….I…I mean…I was just driving them and….” Reba nervously replied. “I CAN’T YOU BELIEVE YOU LEFT MY BOYS BEHIND FOR DEAD! I TRUSTED YOU TO TEAM UP WITH THEM AND THEN YOU BOTH GOT OUTSMARTED BY TWO LITTLE GIRLS?!” Dan yelled at Jamie & Reba before Sinon hit him in the groin. “Now YOU’RE a little girl as well..” She told him sarcastically as he fell to the ground. “So where do we go from here, they’re definitely going to come for us NOW!” Nyla asked her. “I don’t know, I’ve got something to plan for later…” Britt said as she raised her hands in frustration before getting closer to Sinon and grabbing her chin. “...something that this little brat can help me with….” she continued sarcastically with sneer.

Tifa & Hikaru returned to her bar to see Kenny Omega checking Akira over & Moxley leaning on the bar thinking. “We’re home! How’s it going, everyone?” Tifa asked as they walked in. Akira ran up to Tifa & hugged her. “Oh! Akira! Are you OK?” Tifa asked her. “Also where’s Sinon? Wasn’t she with you?” she continued. “THEY TOOK HER, I’M SO SORRY, THEY TOOK HER!” Akira said with tears building in her eyes. “Hey, hey, it’s OK. Who took her?” Tifa asked as she rubbed Akira’s head. “Want three guesses?” Moxley responded. “But…I thought 2.0 wanted Akira, what do they want with Sinon?” Hikaru asked. “2.0? No, it was Britt’s goons & the ‘Men of The Year’. ” Mox said with air quotes. “Oh…Britt must have been that boss they were talking about. Regardless, what did they want with Sinon?” Tifa asked. Akira had told her what happened while they were gone. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to…” Akira added before Tifa interrupted. “No, don’t be! Sinon was trying to save you because what she does, that's what we all do here!” Tifa said as she comforted her. “Also we saw Hangman as well.” Moxley added. “HANGMAN?! How was he?” Tifa asked, surprised at the news. “He was acting kind of weird. As soon as I told them where they took Sinon, he ran off.” Akira responded. “Honestly, sounds like par for the course for him in my opinion” Mox once again interjected. “Oh, I hope he’s OK. We haven’t seen him in a while!” Tifa added. “I know right? That’s what I told him!” Mox commented. “Hey…we should probably figure out where they took Sinon.” Kenny added in. “OH! RIGHT! YES! You said you knew where they took her? Can you tell Hikaru & I where it is?” Tifa asked Akira.

The group arrived at a beautiful location that had a garden area with two large buildings. Hikaru & Tifa got out of the car first, both were wearing Ninja-like outfits. “Thanks for making this Ninja gear for me, Hikaru!” Tifa said as they got out. “You are very welcome! I’m so glad you like it!” Hikaru responded. “Hey, you’re here! Great! The ninja outfits are really cool too!” a figure wearing a helmet with a skull design & a black biker’s outfit with spikes all over it told them. Tifa & Hikaru were shocked at the sight of this person, “...Thanks?” Tifa said. “Tifa, Hikaru, It’s me…You don’t…OH WAIT!” The figure said as it took off it’s helmet. “I forgot, you haven’t seen me with my biking gear on! Although I’m surprised you didn’t recognize the helmet, Tifa.” Akira had told them. “Oh, phew, it’s you, Akira. I’m sorry, I wasn’t really paying attention last time.” Tifa said with a laugh & a relieved look on her face. “So what’s our plan? How are we going to find her? ” Akira asked them. “Well, I’ve called my friends to help us & they have enlisted a ninja to join as well!” Hikaru said. “And together we will find a way in & get her.” Tifa added. “Well then, Let’s go!” Akira said as they made their way to the building. As they snuck around the building looking for an entrance, Hikaru saw a beautiful girl with ornaments in her blue hair in a window they passed. “Psst, Tifa, Akira, I think I found her!” Hikaru as she signaled them over. Tifa banged on the window & the girl turned around to look and then went to open the window. “Sinon! There you are, buddy!” Tifa asked her. “What’s with the getup?” Akira asked. “TIFA! HIKARU! AKIRA! I’M SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU!” Sinon exclaimed. “Are you OK?” Tifa asked as she sensed that something was wrong. “I’m really scared! I thought they were just going to lock me away somewhere like they did with you, but then they dressed me up in this kimono & make-up and said I’d be ‘entertaining Britt’s boyfriend’ !” Sinon said nervously as her eyes watered up. Tifa wiped her eyes and held her chin up. “Don’t worry! Our friends are coming to help & we won’t let anything happen to you!” Tifa told her. “In fact, we’ll send them to find you so that you won’t go this alone!” She continued. “Thank you, Tifa!” Sinon said to her. “Look, you’re a strong girl & you’ll get through this just like you’ve gotten through everything else! Hang in there!” Tifa said as they started walking again. “We’ll come back for you, we promise!” Hikaru said as she grabbed Sinon’s hand before leaving.

Eventually, they met up with where Hikaru’s friends, Io Shirai, Mitsuru, & Rin Kadokura were hiding. “Hikaru?” Shirai asked from her hiding spot. “Io?” Hikaru answered before Shirai popped out. “There you are!” She said as saw them. “Hello everyone!” Hikaru greeted them. “Are Syuri, Natsupoi, & the other ninja not here yet?” she asked Shirai. Suddenly, them & the ninja Sayuri dropped onto the ground behind Shirai. “No, we brought them.” Shirai answered. “So, what’s our plan? Are we still looking for a way in?” She asked. “Well…there’s been a change in plans…” Hikaru told her. “What do ya mean?” Rin asked. “So here’s the thing…” Tifa started to say.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door of the room that Sinon was in, followed by a lot of banging noises and then silence. Sinon sat there very scared of what might come next. The door slowly opened & Sinon started breathing heavily. “Sinon?” a voice asked. “...y…yes?” She asked nervously. “She’s in here!” the voice said. In came all of Hikaru’s friends. Sinon ran up to Mitsuru and hugged her. “There you are!” Mitsuru said as she rubbed Sinon’s head, “Are you OK?” she asked her. “I am now that you are all here! Thank you so much!” Sinon said as she rubbed her eyes. “Hikaru & Tifa sent us to find ya! They wanted us to help you with whatever they have you lined up for here!” Rin told her. “I don’t even know what it is they want me to do!” Sinon said. “From the looks of it, you might be doing a Meiko dance of some sort for Britt’s boyfriend.” Shirai noted. “And that’s what we are here for! Sayuri & Rin will join you so that we can make sure nothing happens to you!” Mitsuru added. “Now the question is, who knows how to do Meiko outfits like Sinon’s?” Shirai asked. “I can!” Mitsuru exclaimed. After a period of time, The ladies were sneaking down the hallway towards the entrance where Sinon, Rin, & Sayuri would be going out to dance, passing by Kenny & Moxley entering a large event room. “Now remember Mox, act natural.” Kenny told him. “Riiiiiiight…” Mox responded.

“Ready, kid? Sounds like we might be on soon.” Rin asked Sinon as they waited in the entrance area. “I...I guess…” Sinon said nervously. “Don’t worry, we’ll be right there with you.” Sayuri reminded her. “OK, you’re up…” Reba popped in to tell Sinon. “Who are you?” She asked the two ladies behind Sinon. “They’re the dance instructors that work here.” Sinon told her. “Oh yes yes, we’re dance instructors! She told us she didn’t know how to do Meiko dance so we taught her!” Sayuri said in a disguised voice behind her fan. “Yes! We didn’t have much time, but we taught her well!” Rin added. “OK, so why are you here with her now?” Reba asked. “Oh we’re going out with her to make sure she does it right! Don’t want to mess up performance for paying customers!” Rin told her. “Didn’t you just say you taught her how to do it though?” Reba asked. “Yes, but first time, stage fright, mistakes happen.” Sayuri said. “And how do I know you aren’t with Hikaru & Tifa?” Reba asked. “OH HIKARU & TIFA! OUR BEST STUDENTS!” Rin exclaimed. “Oh yes, such beautiful dancers!” Sayuri added. “I KNEW IT!” Reba yelled as she ran towards them. Rin & Sayuri whacked her across the face with their fans & Sayuri did her ninja pose before chopping Reba. Rin put her in a headlock & dropped her to the floor. “C’mon, let’s go!” Rin said as she grabbed Sinon’s hand & ran out. “OK kid, just stand behind us. We’ll protect ya!” Rin told Sinon. “...and both of you, follow my lead too.” Sayuri said to both of them.

"Wow…this is a…this is a nice place here.” Britt’s boyfriend, Adam Cole, said. “Anything for you, babe!” Britt told him, “I even got entertainment for us too!” she continued as they sat down. “Ooh cool!” Adam said. As the band started to play, Rin, Sayuri, & Sinon started dancing. “These are very interesting dancers.” Adam told Britt. “Where’s the other one?!” Britt asked. “You hired 3 dancers?” Adam asked. “No, I only got one!” Britt responded. “You OK? You usually take credit for everything, now you’re saying this wasn’t you?” Adam asked her. “No, just…” Britt said as she got up and ran toward the performance. “Britt? It’s OK, I’m enjoying this! Where are you going?” Adam yelled at her. “Excuse me, where is the dancer that I…” Britt asked Rin. Rin whacked Britt with her fan. “Alright, maybe your friend will answer!” Britt said before asking Sayuri the same question. Sayuri also whacked Britt with her fan. Britt backed off a bit before noticing Sinon behind them. “AHA! There you are, you little brat!” Britt said as she approached Sinon. She didn’t make it far as Rin & Sayuri had bum rushed her, with Rin holding Britt while Sayuri did her Ninja chest chops. Jamie Hayter was gunning towards them, but Tifa stopped her with her somersault attack. Rin & Sayuri did a team bodyslam on Britt. Adam Cole ran towards his girlfriend after he saw that, “BRITT!” he yelled. “Can we fight now?” Moxley asked Kenny. “If you’re ready.” Kenny slyly responded. Both of them took off toward Adam Cole. 2.0 were gunning for them as well, “You get Adam Cole, I’ll take care of the goon squad!” Kenny told Moxley. “You got it!” Moxley responded. Kenny gave both 2.0 Snapdragon suplexes while Moxley clotheslined Adam Cole.

Just then, the waitstaff that had been hired for the event noticed that microphones were still set up where the band was playing and ran over to use them. “Ladies & gentlemen, we have a great fight for you tonight! I’m Oli Davis and these are me mates, Luke Owen D.A.D, …” Oli said into the mic. “THAT’S MY GIMMICK!” Britt yelled back as she was fighting Sayuri.”…Chopper Pete Quinnell, Tempest, Denise Salcedo…” Oli continued. “Yes, LIW & Team Penise together for one night only!” Pete added.”...Laurie Blake, & Adam Blampied.” He continued. “That’s right, Oli! It looks like we have Britt fighting a Ninja girl & her friend, Mox & Kenny Omega fighting 2.0 and Adam Cole…and is that Tifa Lockhart fighting Jamie Hayter?” Pete added. “Why yes it is, my broadcasting compadre! Boy, I tell ya this is already better than 2hrs of Smackdown!”Tempest added. “OH YOU AIN’T KIDDING!” Moxley shouted back. Hikaru was running through the brawl to grab Sinon when something hit her & knocked her against a table. “DEEB! I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN YOU WERE WORKING FOR BRITT!” She yelled as she looked up at Serena Deeb. “That’s right I was! Now it’s finally time to end you!” She snarled as they started fighting again. “Looks like Shida & Deeb are having a Kendo Stick & Chair fight!” Luke said. “That table was a convenient place for her Kendo Stick!” Tempest added. “Why it’s almost like the final fight in every Star Wars movie, how poignant.” Adam B. added. Reba ran to grab Sinon, but Mitsuru grabbed Reba & held in a bridge hold while Shirai moonsaulted off a table onto her. Mitsuru picked Sinon up & ran off. “Thank you, Mitsuru!” Sinon said. “Anytime, my friend!” She said. Nyla Rose ran in front of them, “WELL IF IT ISN’T THE BEST FRIENDS! DON’T WORRY, I’LL MAKE SURE YOU DIE TOGETHER!” She said intimidatingly. Sinon jumped out of Mitsuru’s arms, “Sinon, where are you…” Mitsuru asked. “Put her in a headlock!” Sinon said as she ran behind Nyla. “Got it!” Mitsuru responded as she jumped up & got her arms around Nyla’s head. “I’ll disable her!” Sinon said, “Want to do it together?” a voice asked. Sinon looked next to her to see Hikaru’s friend, Syuri! “Absolutely!” she responded. “Ready…GO!” Syuri said as they kicked Nyla in the back of her legs, taking her down & allowing Mitsuru to do a neckbreaker on her. “Thanks!” Sinon said. “Yes! Thank you very much!” Mitsuru told Syuri as bowed towards her. “And Nyla Rose goes down like a dead tree.” Laurie said. “Oh man, that was excellent teamwork on their part!” Denise added. “Indeed it was!” Pete added. Akira had entered the fray & teamed up with Sayuri to fight Britt. When Britt was knocked against the wall, Akira grabbed her by her collar, “Where’s my big brother?” she asked. Britt just weakly chucked at her, “He should be here right…now.” she responded as someone crashed through the window & roared. Akira’s heart sank at the sight of him. “WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!” She yelled at Britt. “I knew you’d crawl back with help especially after I heard you met THEM. So I did some fun experiments with him…” Britt shot back. “YOU DIDN’T TELL ME YOU’D USE MY MEDS FOR THAT!” Luther yelled at her. “You act like you’re so surprised I LIED TO YOU.” Britt told him as she threw Akira off. Luther caught her & after she got back on her feet asked him. “You gave her the meds for my brother, do you have an antidote for them?” “RIGHT HERE!” Luther answered as he picked up Serpentico, “LET’S GO SERP!” He yelled as he ran towards Akira’s brother using Serpentico as a battering ram, knocking him back out the window he came in, “GO SERP!” Luther as he threw Serpentico like a lawn dart. Akira followed after them. “I say, this is becoming like a DDT match!” Luke said. Kenny took his mic, “Not really, because we never had genetic freaks like that in DDT.” Kenny corrected him. Britt ran over to Hikaru, held her to the wall & throttled her neck, “YOU’VE…RUINED…EVERYTHING FOR ME. NOW IT’S TIME TO…” Britt growled before being knocked over by a chair shot. “NOBODY GETS TO END HER EXCEPT ME!” Serena yelled at her as her & Hikaru kept fighting. “I don’t think that was legal.” Adam B. said, “Oh come on Adam, it’s Extreme Rules! Anything’s allowed!” Luke added. Tifa was fighting Jamie Hayter when she noticed Akira running off, this gave Jamie a chance to attack & knock her over. Jamie then turned & saw Danhausen in front of her. He just stood there & pointed at her. As she stood there befuddled by this, Tifa & Rin did a team superkick on her as Anna Jay took her down with her Queenslayer finisher as Danhausen walked away, passing by Orange Cassidy, who gave him a thumbs up. Just for good measure, she also grabbed Stu Greyson & dropped him on her too. “WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!” Stu asked. “Just wanted to make sure she wasn’t getting up.” she told him. “Man, that has to have been one of Danhausen’s more powerful curses.” Tempest said. “Where did Dark Order come from though?” Denise asked. “The Dark Order is everywhere, my friend!” Pete responded. Britt tried to sneak off behind the commentary team, “She’s getting away!” Sayuri said. “Not if we have anything to say about it! Follow me!” Shirai said as they ran to a nearby table. Natsupoi took Britt down and held her there with her baton, while Shirai & Sayuri had jumped from a table over the commentary team onto Britt. “OH MY GOODNESS!” Denise said as they flew over them. “WHOA! Duck your head, Tempest! Jesus!” Pete added. “You OK, back there?” Tempest asked them. “Never been better.” Shirai groaned as they both got up. After Adam Cole threw Moxley off of him, he turned around to find Alex Reynolds & John Silver behind him, ready to attack. “Wait! Guys! I thought we were friends!” He told them. “...he does have a point.” John said. “Hmm, yes indeed…” Alex added. “WE’RE NOT THOUGH!” Evil Uno said as him & Colt Cabana picked him up and sent him backwards onto the floor. “Silly Adam Cole, there’s no friends in a brawl! Only very loose alliances.” Adam B. said. “Well, all’s fair in love & war as they say.” Laurie added. Moxley got up to see Reba gunning at him with her fist reared back to hit him when she was suddenly knocked back down by the Men Of The Year. “Um…thanks?” Mox said in response. “Don’t get used to this, MOX!” Ethan Page said. “Yeah! We just don’t take kindly to abandonment!” Scorpio Sky added. “We ain’t done with you yet either!” Ethan said as they got ready to fight. Moxley chuckled for a bit, “Looks like you two didn’t learn your lesson earlier. Alright, you want to dance again? LET’S DANCE AGAIN!” Mox told them. Dan Lambert, who ran in with the Men Of The Year, saw the brawl that was happening & tried to sneak out a nearby door. “WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING?!” a voice yelled. Suddenly, Dakota Kai took him down to the floor and Shirai & Kairi landed elbow drops on him. “Thanks for the help, Kairi & Dakota!” Shirai told her friend. “Anytime, Shirai! Sorry we were late!” Kairi told her. “WHOA! They just came from out of nowhere!” Oli said. “Wait a minute! That’s elder abuse!” Luke yelled. “Ah, don’t worry about it, he was a jerk anyways.” Pete added. “Besides, who cares about him when Moxley’s about to pull a double Paradigm Shift on Men Of The Year!” Tempest added. Moxley did his finishing move & piled the Men Of The Year one on top of the other [& put their hand down their pants as a cherry on top of the sundae]. Both him & Tifa ran to pull Sinon off of a battered Reba, “Sinon! Sinon! It’s OK, buddy!” Tifa told her. “Whoa whoa whoa! Easy there, killer! I think she gets it now!” Moxley told Sinon. “Oh, she did a number on Reba!” Denise said. “Me thinks she learned that from Shida.” Laurie said. “Or maybe her friends.” Tempest added. Kenny was still fighting 2.0 when The Young Bucks joined him. “Hey, this fight is unfair!” Matt told him. “Yeah, You have 3 guys now!” Jeff added. “Oh please, we’re heels, you think we care about fairness?” Matt Jackson shot back at them. “Yeah, so what? What are you, scared of us?” Nick Jackson quipped. Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish took down Evil Uno & Colt Cabana, only to be taken out themselves by 10 & Alan Angels. “Ah, The Undisputed Elite have arrived on the scene!” Oli said. “Oooooh, and it looks like ReDragon’s comeback is over as quickly as it started…” Adam B. added. Dan Lambert tried to crawl through the wreckage of the event room to another exit, he almost made it when he looked up in horror & saw Tay Conti in front of him, “Hello, Mr. Lambert.” she said before putting the TayKO on him. “Dan Lambert tried to sneak out again & Tay Conti said ‘Oh no you don’t’ !” Denise said. “Ooh! That’s going to hurt tomorrow!” Tempest added. “Forget tomorrow, he’s probably feeling that right now!” Pete added. Rin & Sayuri were fighting Nyla Rose, with both of them alternating punches, kicks, & chops to the chest. “Here, you grab one side of her, I’ll grab the other!” Rin told her. “OK, what’s the plan?” Sayuri asked. Miyu Yamashita ran up & kicked Nyla in the head, knocking her out. “That.” Rin responded before giving Nyla a Double Wrist Armsault through the table. Rin high-fived Miyu & Sayuri afterward. “That girl’s leg is loaded like a shotgun!” Luke said. “I’d file her under Cute but Deadly.” Tempest added. Hikaru & Serena were still fighting each other with fists, kicks, & whatever weapons they could find. Hikaru had finally worn her down enough that she was able to give Serena a Falcon Arrow through a nearby table. When Serena got back up, she grabbed Hikaru’s shoulder, but Tifa dolphin-punched her into a window pane. “Want to team up like old times & take her out?” Syuri asked Hikaru. “You bet!” Hikaru replied. “Ready? GO!” Syuri said as they both kicked her through the window onto the ground. Syuri & Hikaru crossed their arms and did their victory pose after to celebrate. “HEADS UP!” Rin yelled. Rin, Sayuri, Miyu, & Tifa ran towards Hikaru & Syuri carrying Nyla, “AND PULL!” Rin yelled as they launched her on top of Serena Deeb. Tempest found a pot & spoon and banged them together as a makeshift bell. “AND OUR WINNERS OF THE BRAWL! HIKARU SHIDA, TIFA LOCKHART…” Oli yelled. “...AND THEIR FRIENDS!” Luke yelled as Pete, Tempest, & Denise held their hands up. Laurie, Adam B., & everyone else applauded. “Thanks guys…& girl!” Tifa said with a chuckle. “Oh no, thank you! We’ve been wanting to do that for ages!” Pete replied. “OK, I saw Akira run off during that brawl & we need to find her.” Tifa told Hikaru. “OK!” Hikaru responded. “Do you want me to join you?” Sinon asked. “Why don’t you stay behind with Shirai & the others. You’ve been through enough & we don’t want anything else happening to you.” Tifa responded. “That may not be a bad idea…” Sinon said as she giggled. “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of our little buddy while you finish the job!” Rin said.

Tifa & Hikaru ran out of the window that Akira’s brother had crashed through & into the dojo through the smashed door. They found Akira & her brother knocked out against the wall & Hangman fighting Lance Archer. Lance picked him up & slammed onto the floor with his Blackout finisher. Tifa & Hikaru had tried to save him, but Lance was too fast. “AKIRA! HANGMAN!” Tifa yelled as she ran over to check on them. She got up & assumed a fighting stance while gritting her teeth. Hikaru stood next to her & did the same. Lance Archer laughed, “So... you ladies want to be the next victims…alright, let’s go a round then!” he said.

Britt had escaped the brawl near the end & ran up to a cloaked figure in the backyard. “Ah, Britt Baker, good to see you again. How can the House Of Black help you this time?” it said softly. “Look, Malakai was it? Whatever. I need another service from you.” Britt told him. “Yes, yes, which of our other dark arts are you interested in?” Malakai asked. “I need you to light the place on fire.” Britt answered. “Perfect! We will cleanse our enemies with baptism by fire! Would you like me to add that to your tab?” Malakai asked. “TAB?! I’m not paying to do the equivalent of lighting a match & dropping it!” Britt shot back. “Well, you see, the House Of Black relies on payment to continue providing its services to those in need… and on that subject… when do you plan on paying us for possession of the boy?” Malakai asked her. “I told you it was upon successful completion of the job!” Britt said. “You know what, nevermind, I’ll do it myself.” She continued as she ran off. “Oh, Britt Baker, you will regret that…for everyone pays the House Of Black…one way or the other.” Malakai said to himself.

Tifa & Hikaru were standing there, battered, bruised, & breathing heavily. Lance Archer stood in front of a window over them, cackling at them. “It looks like you ladies learned the same lesson your friends here learned, and that lesson is in the end…everybody dies.” He told them. Suddenly, someone crashed through the window behind Lance Archer & knocked him down. It was Serpentico! Behind him was Luther & Christian Cage! Luther picked his partner, “GOOD JOB SERP!” he yelled before dragging Serpentico back to the window & throwing him out, leaving behind him. Christian grabbed a rocked Lance Archer, dragged him to the window, & held him there. “Here you go, big guy!” He yelled out. An arm grabbed Lance Archer by the neck and yanked him out. Minutes later after Christian jumped out, there was a loud thump and the ground shook a bit. Paul Wight had grabbed Lance Archer and chokeslammed into the ground. This gave Tifa & Hikaru enough time to recollect themselves & recover enough to grab Akira, her brother, & Hangman. “OK, let’s get them out here!” Tifa told her. “Right!” Hikaru said. Britt was outside, aiming a gun at a gas tank attached to the dojo building. She shot it at the tank & watched as it exploded. “Well what do you know, I actually learned something from dealing with Mox & that little brat kid.” She snarled as she ran off. Everyone in the event room heard a loud explosion that rocked the building. “W..what…what was that?” Sinon asked nervously. “We…might want to get out of here.” Shirai had said. They escaped through the broken window that Tifa & Hikaru had gone out of & saw that the Dojo was on fire. “WAIT! WHERE’S…” Sinon asked panickedly before they noticed a broken window & a busted open door that fire was coming out of. “Hikaru…Tifa…” Sinon said as her eyes watered up. “Don’t worry, Hikaru’s a tough girl. She’ll be OK.” Shirai kneeled down and told her as Mitsuru put her arm around Sinon “Tifa’s a tough girl too! She’ll make it out!” Rin said as she put her hand on Sinon’s head. “And if we know our boy, Hangman, he’ll be alright as well!” Evil Uno said. Suddenly, a portion of the building caved in and fell. Mitsuru hugged Sinon as she started crying and rubbed her back while Rin rubbed her head. They all just stood there watching the fire burn everything up.

Britt, Reba, & Adam Cole were running from the area, “Wait, what about Jamie?” Reba asked. “Don’t worry about her, she’ll get out & catch up with us!” Britt responded. “And the others?” Adam Cole asked. “They’ll figure it out!” Britt responded to him. They were stopped by the House of Black standing in front of them. “Britt Baker, you have not paid us for our services yet.” Malakai said to her. “Do you consider that a successful job?! I had to take them all out myself! I should have known not to hire you, you couldn’t even convert Pac with those stupid dark arts of yours! And how long did it take you to convert Julia Hart?! ” Britt yelled at him. Brody King & Buddy Matthews emerged and grabbed Reba & Adam Cole. “Britt Baker, you have chosen a poor decision that you will regret. As you see…everyone pays The House of Black…so if you will not pay us willingly....we will take the payment from you forcefully.” Malakai said as he grabbed Britt. He stood there staring at her & breathing for a bit, until suddenly, he took a deep breath & spat a black mist on her face. “BRITT!” Reba & Adam yelled as she started screaming in agony. “Brother Malakai, what shall we do with them?” Brody asked. “Bring the woman & the boyfriend…we shall use them as collateral.” Malakai told him as they all walked off leaving Britt laying on the ground blinded from the black mist.

Figures started to emerge from the flames. It was Hikaru & Tifa! They were dragging Akira, her brother, Hangman, & each other out of there. “Sinon! Look! Look! They’re OK!” Mitsuru told her. Everyone ran to help them to a safer place away from the burning building. When they got a safe distance away, everyone checked on them. They all had burns on them & ash stains in various spots. “Hikaru! Are you OK?!” Shirai asked her. “Yeah…I’m OK…” Hikaru responded while lying on the ground breathing heavily. “How are ya holding up, Tifa?” Rin asked her. “I’m fine…” Tifa responded as she kneeled on the ground breathing heavily. “Akira & her brother are OK, just knocked out.” Moxley said as he & Kenny checked on them. “Same with Hangman.” Evil Uno said as him & the Dark Order were checking him over. Tifa crawled over to Hikaru & held her up with her arm. “Hikaru…are you OK, buddy?” Tifa asked. “I’m fine…do not worry…just need to recover a bit.” Hikaru told her. “I’m so sorry…” Tifa said in a sad tone. “It’s OK…I would have done the same…if it was just you in there with them too…” Hikaru weakly reassured her. Tifa crawled over to Akira & hugged her. “Akira…I’m so sorry…We told you we’d help you find your brother & protect you. And when you needed us most, you ended up having to take it on yourself…” She said as she teared up. She let go of Akira and crawled over to Hangman. “Hangman…I’m so sorry…I said I’d always be there for you…I…I…I let you down…I don’t know why you…disappeared…I should have made an effort to check on you…I’m sorry…” She said, holding back tears. She kissed Hangman on the forehead… and he started suddenly coughing. “...Hoo…what a ride that was…” He said in between breaths. “HANGMAN!” Tifa said as she hugged him. “T…Tifa?” he asked. “Yes, it’s me! I’m so happy you’re OK! Why were you there? Why didn’t you ask for help?” Tifa asked. “I wanted you…to be happy with me again…” Hangman told her. “B…but…I’m always happy with you! Why would you think I wasn’t?” Tifa asked him in a shocked tone. “I’ll explain later…what about the girl…& Sinon…” He asked. “Akira’s OK, she’s just knocked out like you were. Sinon’s perfectly fine, she’s right…” She responded before looking up at Sinon. “SINON!” Tifa said. “Go talk with her, we can talk later.” Hangman said. “Sinon! Come here!” Tifa told her. Mitsuru released her and she ran to hug Tifa. “Sinon! I’m so sorry we worried you, buddy! Don’t worry, we’re OK & still here for you too!” Tifa told her as Sinon started crying again & tears ran down Tifa’s face. Hikaru was able to get up & hug the two of them together as well.

A couple hours later after some recovery time & medical attention for Akira and her brother…

Everyone was at Tifa’s bar, celebrating a hard earned victory! They even invited the band & waitstaff from the brawl too! The band opened up by performing Maki Itoh’s theme with her singing [since she never got the chance to do that at Britt’s event] & then a rousing rendition of Foo Fighters’ “The Pretender”, sung by Pete & Tempest afterward. Hangman went to the mic for the next song, “I, uh, would like to dedicate this next song to my friend Tifa, I’m sorry I disappeared for so long.” he said before singing Oasis’s “Don’t Go Away” [with Oli & Pete backing him up]. Tifa teared up while listening to this & ran up to hug Hangman at the end. “That was beautiful, Hangman! But you still haven’t told me why you disappeared or why you think I’m not happy with you!” Tifa told him as tears ran down her face. Hangman exhaled,”...you made a comment about how your supplies run low everytime I show up…& I felt bad about that…so…” he said. “Oh Hangman! I’m so sorry! I didn’t know that hurt you so much! I didn’t even know you heard it! That was just a humorous comment I made to someone in the bar! I didn’t mean it as an attack, I love having you here, my friend! I missed you & worried about you so much while you were gone!” Tifa told him between tears as the band started playing Bad English’s “When I See You Smile” & Alter Bridge’s “Open Your Eyes”.

A couple days later…

Tifa, Hikaru, Sinon, & Moxley hanging out at the bar when Hangman walked in. “Hangman! You’re back!” Tifa exclaimed. “Yeah, I am & I found someone outside too!” he said as Akira walked in with him. Tifa ran over to pick her up & hug her. “Hikaru! Sinon! Look who’s here!” She yelled over to them. Hikaru & Sinon popped out of the back to see who it was & ran up to them as well. Moxley spun around in his chair. “Hey Akira! How are you doing, buddy?” Tifa asked. “How are you feeling?” Hikaru asked her. “You all healed up?” Sinon asked. “Yep, I’m feeling a lot better now! Thank you all!” Akira responded. “How’s your brother?” Tifa asked her. “He’s doing good too! He actually doesn’t remember anything from that night either. Whatever Britt did to him must have made him blackout.” Akira responded. “Well, that…that sounds like progress at least.” Hangman said. “Yeah, at least he’s healing up & going in the right direction.” Sinon added. “So what brings you here, Akira?” Tifa asked her. “I actually had a question for all of you!” Akra responded. “What’s that?” Hikaru asked. “You all are my heroes after that night & as I was recovering, I was really inspired to be like all of you as well…” Akira said. “Aww, thank you Akira, we’ll always be here if you ever need us!” Tifa said to her. “...That leads me to my question, can I join you? I have a bunch of friends that can help us just like Hikaru’s friends!” Akira continued. “Hikaru? Sinon? What do you think?” Tifa asked as she looked at them. “I’d love to have her on the team!” Sinon happily responded. “I’m good with it too!” Hikaru answered. “Then it is settled! Welcome aboard, Akira!” Tifa told her. “Oh thank you! This means so much to me!” Akira happily responded. “OK, let’s celebrate our newest member!” Tifa said as her, Hikaru & Sinon walked back to the bar area. “Come on!” Hangman said as he grabbed her hand & walked her up there. Akira took a seat next to Moxley & he patted her on the shoulder, “Welcome to the team, kid.” he told her.