Hey guys! I am so excited to be starting this story. Okay, let me lay down a few points here... first of all, this story revolves around the tournament, yes, but it's more of a character-driven drama. I'm going to try and not make fighting the main focus. If you want your fill of bona fide tournament action, there's another Kumite headed your way in the coming months : )
Secondly, this story will be following the chronology and all... but let's be totally clear, this is NOT a recap. I am retelling the story of the Outlaw Team, with plenty of my own content and spins added in. This is following the canon, but not as closely as you would think. This story is going places that the videogame does not. So, don't come into this expecting some lame-o rehash of what you already know ; )
Welp, that should do it. Without further ado, let's kick it off.
He'd done lots of things for the big man, but this was pushing it.
Laying in a hospital bed, IV tubes sticking in him, bedpan underneath him, it was moments like these that really tested Billy's loyalty. He'd faced all manner of danger in his line of work, but this was one just too close. He was in the worst pain of his life, as if a grizzly bear itself had preyed upon him with vengeful claws and knew nothing of the human concept of mercy. When he saw the blood, the first thing he thought of was Lilly: how could he die and leave her all alone like this?! He was her protector. Her provider. He always swore to deliver her from their humble living, to save her from the poverty they wallowed in for so long. She deserved it. She deserved better. If he died, she would never...
His second thoughts were of the man himself. The man he swore his life to. The man who trusted him with his life... and Billy thought he himself could do the same. Right now, he felt betrayed: how could the boss do this to him?! Why would he so carelessly, so willingly throw Billy to the wolves like this? He knew the danger: he KNEW it was bad news, and yet heeded no caution in sending Billy to certain doom.
Billy hated this... questioning his faith. Geese Howard was all he had. He was God to him. Everything he had, everything he bet on, for himself and his sister... it was because of Geese. But sometimes, times like these, he couldn't help but wonder just how his boss saw him; did Geese look at him as a disposable asset? Just another soldier, a mook who could die and be replaced in minutes? No... Billy was more than that. He HAD to be more than that. He had put in too much time, too much risk to be looked at with as much regard as a marching ant!
"Mr. Kane?"
Billy's deep trance was interrupted, and he saw the concerned face of the nurse who had tended to him for the few days he'd been here.
"You have a visitor sir. It's Geese Howard. Shall I let him in?"
Billy was unfortunate to have been holding a milk carton in his grasp, as his unconsciously furious grip reduced its contents to a flat, soggy lump.
TWO WEEKS EARLIER...
"Alright, let's just calm it down here people... Billy! BILLY!"
Calm was the last thing on Billy's mind. He felt cold steel tickling his neck, courtesy of a short blade brandished by the purple-clad man standing before him. Not one to show weakness, Billy gave him what-for in return, extending his trusty red staff between the eyes of his dubious colleague, a threat of equal magnitude that caused a skin-crawling stalemate in the ominous silence of Geese's office.
Geese, in abnormal fashion, was forced to act as a moderator, getting between his long-time underling and the purple stranger with his impressive frame pushing their weapons away from their respective persons.
"Billy, I said BACK OFF!" Geese finally showed some finality in his command, letting Billy know he was serious. Not one to risk all his chips, Billy reluctantly lowered his weapon... but his eyes never left those of the ninja before him, who gave him equal treatment in return. As the man's blade slowly slid back into the sheath, he lifted a hand upward to brush the brown bangs out of his eyes, to further demonize his dreadful gaze into Billy's irises.
"Alright, we cool now?" Geese asked, looking to one and the other successively. "Good. Now... I called you two here because I need your help this year. Mr. R is hosting another King of Fighters, and I ain't sitting this one out."
Billy shifted his gaze from the purple man for a second, to his boss. "Tch, whatta we need this bloke for then? I coulda entered the tourney for ya no problem."
"You don't get it!" Geese's volume rose. "King of Fighters ain't like it used to be, alright? What we used to do back then, you and I... it's a lot bigger now. A LOT. BIGGER."
"Whatta you sayin?" Billy snarked. "I ain't got the goods anymore? Is that it?"
Geese shook his head. "It's not your skills I'm doubting, Billy. Look, the days of singles format are over. This guy, Rugal Bernstein... his rules say you can only enter with teams of 3. Them's the breaks."
"So that explains this git." Billy's eyes returned to that of his strange acquaintance.
"Watch your tongue, boy." the purple man spoke finally. "The Kisaragi clan is not to be trifled with, and I'm their finest warrior. You cross me, and you WILL regret it."
Billy rolled his eyes. "Psh, if yer so big and important, how come I've never heard of ya? Boss, do I really hafta enter a tournament with this clown?"
Geese extended a hand to his shoulder. "I need you here, Billy. This Rugal guy... I don't like him. He's a threat to my status, you dig? I can't have another bigshot trying to take a slice of MY world. Now, I need you to enter King of Fighters with this badass ninja and investigate. Scope him out, you feel me? I've heard rumors that he's messing with some kind of otherwordly power, and I WANT to know what it is. If a rival has acquired some kind of godlilke strength, we can't be having that Billy Boy. We just can't! Nobody is going to oppose my greatness and get away with it!"
The man known as Kisaragi folded his arms. "I do expect to be amply compensated for this task. And I may even request extra, being forced to work with such... unpleasant company."
Billy shot him a snarl. "How's this for a bonus? You and me can finish what we started."
Geese was getting annoyed now. "That's ENOUGH you two! Shit, put a lid on it! You can kill each other all you want when you're not on my time. Now, do we have a deal or not?"
Kisaragi was motionless for only a second, as if to mull over this proposition. Finally, with the slightest of singular nods, his gesture confirmed to Geese that he was onboard.
"I'll help ya out..." Billy sighed. "But wait. You said this Rugal bloke demands teams of THREE. So who's our third guy?"
Geese suddenly lost his composure, his face twisting all at once as if some gripping fear washed over him.
"...Alright, listen good you two. I didn't call him here today, because I was afraid it'd be too dangerous. But you are going to have to enter with this guy, and I warn you... DO NOT F*** WITH HIM. I mean it. This punk kid is bad news, and even I'm humbled enough to admit it."
That produced a raised eyebrow from Billy. If this mystery man was bad enough to put fear in Geese, he truly must have been a piece of work.
"Is he good?" Billy asked.
Geese nodded. "He's damn good. Should win the tournament for you easily. Who knows, you might even get to see Rugal himself. Just promise me you'll keep on your toes, okay Billy? Make one wrong move around this kid, and he'll f*** you up. Just keep your cool, and win the tournament with him. Okay, guys?"
Billy and Kisaragi shot each other a slight glance, before simultaneously turning to Geese and nodding. Their tension seemed to have faded for the moment, probably on account of the unsettling message that had just been delivered unto them about their third man. Suddenly, their beef seemed frivolous; this new guy, whoever he was, consumed their nerves as they pondered just who he was and to what extent he exuded danger.
Geese grinned. "Good, good. Alright you two, get outta here. Tourney's in five days."
Despite the lingering, unsettling air regarding their third teammate, as Billy exited the office with his new partner, they still couldn't help but take the moment to get their licks in.
"Just to be clear, I do not like you one bit." Kisaragi spared no words.
Billy gave his best mean mug. "Yeah, well I ain't waitin' in line to hug or kiss ya either. As soon as this tourney's over, I say we have us a little grudge match of our own."
One could swear the man was grinning under his mask. "You know, we Kisaragi are partial to DEATH matches."
"Oh, don't even f***in' tempt me, mate."
TO BE CONTINUED