Author's Note:
My intention for this novel was to convey what could have been if Kyo Kusanagi, the suave Scion of Flames, was childhood sweethearts with sassy Karate girl Yuri Sakazaki and never had a girlfriend named Yuki Kushinada.
On Yuri's side of the fence, I was working to convey what could have been if her relationship with Spanish-Italian Karate hunk Robert "Robbie Boy" Garcia absolutely fell through (as seen by the time KOF94 kicked off - No pun intended, by the way).
Thank you for understanding. Please enjoy reading the story.
July 5, 2003. 7 A.M. Shimazu Gardens Condominiums, Nagoya, Japan.
Kyo Kusanagi, the former champion of the King of Fighters tournaments prior to 1999, woke up to a phone ringing on his bedside drawer. He strugglingly stirred and slowly opened his eyes as he yawned with great effort and clumsily picked up the receiver.
"Uh, Hello?" He drowsily asked the other person in the line.
"Mr. Kusanagi. It's Dr. Endo," a middle-aged man on the other side of the line responded.
"Oh, hey, Doc. What's going on?"
"You gotta come to the hospital as quick as you can. Your fiancee just broke her water."
Kyo's eyes opened wide with bewilderment.
"Yuri's about to…?!"
"That is correct, Son. She's due for delivery in a few hours. You need to get here now!"
"Yes, Sir. On my way," Kyo ended the conversation while slurring on his speech.
As soon as he dropped the receiver, he stared blankly at the ceiling and let out a big sigh. The overhead fan was spinning slowly, giving off enough coolness to prevent him from sweating all night during this hot, humid middle of summer.
"Holy Sitting Buddha," he muttered.