Notes
...well! That was a hell of a last ten days, wasn't it⁇
First FFN gets hacked; then it gets worse. Then I abandon ship, certain FictionPress would never right it. ...then I find out that people actually cared? (That was surreal, lemme tell ya.) Then, against all odds, FP fixes the problem, does a site-wide security review and claims all holes are patched. Frankly I'm still a little skeptical of that...but sometimes friendship is worth the risk.
So, yeah. I'm back on FFN, after all that nonsense. But! I still think AO3 has a more attentive staff, and better formatting options. So stay tuned after the fic for a new posting policy, one I'm sure will burn up any goodwill I have left. ;P
As for the fic itself...I have no idea. It's based on the throwaway lines in Normal that mentioned Yuri breaking her leg, though there's a little bit of followup for the main plotline here too. It was gonna be an angsty redemption story once upon a time - but thanks to some reader suggestions and, frankly, laziness on my part, it turned into The Wacky Misadventures of Miss Sakazaki instead. On the downside, it's a less meaningful read now...but on the upside, it's a hell of a lot more fun.
Hope you enjoy!
Broken
All right, Yuri girl. You ready for this?
She looked at herself in the mirror, her eyes moving up and down.
"...no. Absolutely not," she decided, laughing nervously to herself.
For the first time in - well, her life probably, Yuri Sakazaki was wearing a gi. Not a silly little half-gi, hanging over purple leggings and not-quite-concealing her sports bra...but a full-on, actual gi. Baggy white trousers, reaching almost to the floor; a baggy white shirt, with about two inches of neckline. And, most importantly, the belt. The official Kyokugen black belt.
The student had become the master.
...well, not the master, of course. Her father would hold onto that title till the day he died, and her brother would likely do most of the teaching till he followed him. But after she'd challenged herself to use vanilla Kyokugen in a local tournament - and won - Yuri had finally gained Takuma's respect as a martial artist. He'd awarded her a first-degree black belt, the proudest moment of her life...and leadership of the beginners' classes, the scariest moment of her life.
Of course, Yuri was never short on confidence. She knew she had the skills, and she knew she could hold a crowd. But this was different. This was teaching. This was living up to a black belt. And while Takuma loved her as a daughter, he'd always hated her as a fighter. How quickly would he take that belt away from her? How long would he give her before he decided her students weren't learning fast enough?
"Only one way to find out," she told herself, clapping her palms against her cheeks.
By then Ryo was nearing the end of his opening speech. As he did, she left the side room and walked down the hall to the main stage, stopping just short of the entrance. Her father waited for her there, giving her what she could only describe as a stern smile...and when she reached him, he even put his hand on her shoulder. "Make me proud, Yuri," he said quietly.
"You know it," she told him, grinning (and hoping he did know it, since she didn't).
Finally Ryo finished his speech, a tiring lecture on the Meaning of Kyokugen and how disrespect would not be tolerated. At least I've got a great act to follow, Yuri mused. Then he reached the last few lines, and she steeled herself for her entrance.
"The Sakazaki family has passed on this art for centuries," Ryo wound down. "My father passed it on to his son, and someday I will pass it on to my own. But as you may know, Takuma Sakazaki also has a daughter...and he now believes that he has passed it on to her as well." (He couldn't quite keep the doubt out of his voice.) "So please welcome our new instructor for the beginners' courses: Yuri Sakazaki!"
Surprised by the news, the students couldn't help but cheer, and they only got louder when Yuri came onstage. She was already grinning and waving, immediately showing more spirit than her brother; she kept it up as she went on and even flashed some peace signs, looking like she was trying to welcome each student individually. She spared a quick glance at her father, whose head was already in his hand...but she didn't care. Let him hate her attitude. It was her skills she wanted to prove.
Ryo left the stage right as Yuri reached the microphone. She waited for him to finish his exit, then turned back to the class and raised her fist. "Welcome, new generation of Kyokugen!" she shouted. "Now that Big Bro's bored you to death about tradition, how 'bout we move right on to kicking butt⁇"
The students cheered again, raising their fists along with her. She grinned back at them, then looked at her family with a smirk. Takuma started shaking his head as he held it; Ryo scowled at her ominously.
Grinning even wider, she turned back to her pupils and went to work. Of course, she couldn't just start off by showing her moves; any teacher worth his-or-her salt knew you had to explain before demonstrating. She told them that Kyokugen emphasized strength and precision, relying on knowing where to put your force as much as knowing how to get a lot of it. Takuma's expression softened while she went on, as he remembered that she respected the art if nothing else.
Just as the crowd started to lose focus, Yuri told them listening time was over - now it was time to watch. She then moved to the back of the main stage, pulling forward one of the padded wooden training dummies.
"Now there's all kinds of little differences on how you want to land your hits," she began. "Use this angle for the temple, hit this part of the shin - that sort of thing. I'm gonna start off, though, by showing one of the most noticeable ones: the side kick. You're gonna want to kick here," she continued, touching the dummy's ribs, "but that's not the best spot. We're actually gonna hit here for more effect," she finished, moving her hand a bit forward and down closer to the hip. "Check it out." She fell back into the Dragon stance, then launched her attack.
...but she wasn't used to the Dragon stance. She was used to her stance. As a result, she overbalanced, moving her leg too far forward. She hit the right spot on the dummy, but instead of her foot, she slammed her shin into the thing...
...and snapped her tibia in half.
She went down with a cry, landing flat on her back. Her father immediately sprinted onstage, her brother following close behind him as most of the class gasped. "Yuri! Yuri, are you alright?"
"No," his daughter growled at him, gritting her teeth in pain.
Takuma fell smoothly to his knees and slid to her side, looking more nimble than he had in years. "How bad?"
Yuri calmed herself, tried flexing her lower leg - and couldn't. "...I don't know," she admitted, trying other, smaller movements with absolutely no results.
His face falling into a grimace, he turned to her brother, who was standing still and shell-shocked. "Ryo! Have someone call an ambulance, then get some ice and a splint! Hurry‼"
As he hurried off, she paled. "...a splint?" she murmured. "But, that means..."
"Yes, I think it's broken," said Takuma, matter-of-factly.
Yuri closed her eyes, groaned, and banged the back of her head on the floor. So much for a good first impression...
Diagnosis, closed fracture; clean, but out of alignment. Recommended treatment, surgery to implant a support rod; accepted treatment, full plaster cast. Two-week prescription of acetaminophen and codeine; instructions to use Tylenol after, stay off feet, and get as much rest as possible.
Recovery time: four to six months.
Why didn't they just shoot me in the head...
Yuri shifted restlessly under the covers of her bed, her new home for the next half-year. The day had been a nightmare of a hospital visit, complicated by the fact that the Sakazakis didn't have the best insurance. Takuma had gone with her, of course, though she kind of wished he hadn't. She kept catching him just staring at her, his face a mask of concern...or, if he didn't think she could see him, pity.
Then they got home to Ryo, and he was so much worse.
"Hey, Dad!" he suddenly shouted from the living room - the only room with a TV. "Dad, there's a new episode of Supergirl on! You wanna watch?"
"You know he doesn't‼" Yuri called out to him in a huff.
"Oh, wow! Look at her go! She's flying!"
"She does that every week, you ass‼"
"Uh oh - I think Jimmy just got killed!"
"It's James, you big geek! And if you spoil me I'll kill you‼"
For all Yuri's life, Ryo had been her big brother. Once they lost their parents - their mom to an "accident", their dad to a hunt for her killer - Ryo took the role very seriously, taking care of her needs and looking out for her safety. But until the age of ten, Ryo had been like most big brothers: a teasing, annoying jerk. Apparently seeing her break her leg on a training dummy had brought those feelings back in spades.
"Hey, what's this? Is that Yuri's diary?"
"What⁇"
"Gosh, it's a good thing the lock is closed!"
"You get away from that thing right now‼"
"Huh! That's strange...it just fell right open!"
"I swear to GOD, Ryo - "
Then she remembered she didn't have a diary anymore.
"...what the hell is wrong with you!?"
His laughter was interrupted by a bark from Takuma, as he joined Ryo in the living room. After that came the faint sounds of the two of them talking; Yuri couldn't make out any words, but her father sounded grim. Her brother just sounded a little confused...until he suddenly laughed again, louder than ever. "Oh, this is perfect. Can I tell her? Can I please be the one to tell her⁇"
She heard a heavy punch silence him this time, followed by a limp body hitting the floor. Yuri snorted and snickered a little - but it didn't overcome her curiosity. Finally, Takuma knocked and then entered her room, looking as grim as he'd sounded.
"How's Big Bro?" she asked, to lighten the mood.
"Dead," Takuma grunted.
"Good," Yuri giggled.
It didn't work, though, as Takuma approached her with a solemn expression. "You got some mail today," he mumbled, tossing it to her. "...we all did."
Frowning, Yuri looked down at it. Three envelopes; a coupon for one of her shops; a magazine she hadn't bothered unsubscribing to yet. Then she reached the middle of the pile...and her eyes widened into saucers.
It was an invitation to a new King of Fighters tournament.
"...oh, come on‼" she wailed, falling back against her bed.
The new tourney took both the competitors and the world by surprise. In an interview, the organizer - Antonov again - called it a "last minute decision"...and he meant it. The first round started next week, leaving the entire circuit scrambling to form teams and make travel arrangements.
Which left Yuri behind in her room. Alone.
NOW what am I supposed to do...? Yuri groused, looking around the room skeptically. The Sakazakis had never been financially well-off, and most of their spare cash went into either the dojo or the restaurant. She didn't have her own TV; her stereo system sounded awful, and her computer could barely load websites anymore. Not to mention that it was tied to her desk, which she couldn't sit at comfortably anyway.
Her lovely, wealthy boyfriend tried to help her out, of course. The very next day, a shiny new flatscreen and a state-of-the-art laptop came to her door, courtesy of Robbie G. But the flatscreen had arrived just as broken as she was, and she'd promptly locked herself out of her new computer. (She could've reset it, of course, but the thought of dealing with all that kinda made her wanna die.)
Sighing, Yuri sat up on her bed and focused. Well, brain, I guess it's just you and me for a while. Now gimme all you got!
Silence.
...uh, brain?
Nada.
Brain? Hello⁇
Nope.
"Oh, come on," she grumbled to herself. "I cannot possibly be this stupid."
Wanna bet?
"...what's that supposed to mean⁇" Yuri snapped, this time at herself.
It means that the internet has left you with the attention span of a hummingbird -
"No it hasn't‼ ...hmm, fried chicken sounds nice..."
- and television's left you with the imagination of a potato.
"Oh yeah!? Well...uhm...you're a potato!"
You HAD a brain once. A good head on your shoulders. Now you've just got a pair of eyeballs and a gap.
"...who are you even insulting, here⁇"
From there she kind of looped back on herself for a while. Eventually she crashed, falling back on her bed with a tremendous sigh. Well, I do know one thing: this's gonna be a loooooong KOF...
"Yuri!"
She blinked. "Yeah, Dad?"
"I have to run to the restaurant for a while! You have your phone, right?"
Her eyes widened. "...yeah! Yeah, I do‼"
"Uhhh...okay. I'll be back soon!" Slam.
Of course - her phone! How could she have forgotten⁇ She only used it every hour of every day of her life. It could get her the internet; it could get her television, or at least Netflix. It wasn't exactly state-of-the-art, but it was good enough for the good stuff.
She reached over for it, grunting as she strained her leg a bit. She pressed the power button and cheered, as it went straight to the lock screen (the charger cord was a little spotty). Grinning, she flipped the phone up in front of her, her salvation at hand.
...and she bobbled it.
"Wha - ? No!" She juggled it for a second, hands trying desperately to catch it. Instead the back of her hand slapped into it, sending it straight towards her door. It hit the edge of the frame hard and fell to the floor, a massive crack running through the length of the screen.
She fell on her pillow again with a long, loud groan. "You proud of yourself, Yuri⁇" she asked herself, seething.
...that was your reflexes, not me.
"Oh, DON'T even start...!"
When Takuma (finally) got back, Yuri made him run right out again for a new phone. But her carrier didn't sell her model anymore, so he had to get a "comparable replacement". This turned out to be a flip phone, with no apps and crappy internet; she could hardly even text. Swallowing her pride, she went crying to Robert for a new one...but after an intense day of training with Ryo, he was in no mood.
Things didn't get any better when the first round began. With Yuri sidelined and Takuma playing babysitter, the Kyokugen team had had to rely on Khushnood Butt (a name Yuri still giggled at, all these years later). The team had won, but barely, and Robert had taken a beating; meanwhile the Womens' Team won handily, thanks to their Yuri stand-in: B. Jenet, who suddenly seemed like a savate savant. She could tell within five seconds of his tirade of a report that a new phone was not in the cards.
The next day, Yuri started to crack.
"...I'd forgotten how fun these things could be!" she laughed to herself, as she brushed out the hair of her favorite baby doll from childhood. She had asked Takuma to dig out her old toy chest the night before, and while he'd raised an eyebrow he couldn't help but indulge her. Inside she'd found a treasure trove of stuffed animals, action figures, and dolls - including her beloved Baby Poopsalot.
Now if she could just get it pooping again, she'd be in business.
Takuma chose that moment to knock on her door and enter the room. He started to speak to her, then blinked as he looked at her - or, rather, her bed. Yuri had surrounded herself with stuffed animals, from tiny dinosaurs to giant starfish, and was currently leaning back against her biggest teddy bear. For a second, she kept lovingly brushing the hair of her doll; then she looked up at her father with big, bright eyes.
"...how're you doing, Yuri?" he asked.
"I'm doing great, Dad," she answered, grinning. "Hey, can you get me some water?"
"Of course."
"And some brown food coloring? And diapers?"
"...maybe later."
"Okay," she said, shrugging. "Oh - that reminds me! We're having a tea party later today! You wanna join us?"
"I, uh...I don't think so," said her father, a little wide-eyed himself now.
"Alright then," she replied, looking back down at her childhood doll.
"...say, Yuri?" Takuma began carefully. "I know it's tough on you without your friends...but you've got to stay with me, alright? You can't just retreat into fantasy."
She looked up at him, frowning for the first time. "...and why shouldn't I?" she asked bitterly. "Because the real world is treating me so great right now?"
"No, because it's too tempting," he warned her. "Descend too far into it right now and you'll have trouble coming back."
"Maybe I don't wanna come back," she muttered.
"This situation is a test of your endurance, Yuri. Your discipline. Your strength," Takuma lectured her. "I didn't assign you to the beginners' classes just because of your skill. I did it because you have the spirit for it. I knew you could handle that, and I know you can handle this. Alright?"
Yuri said nothing.
"...just keep it together, okay?" he pleaded. "I'll be back with your water."
He left, and Yuri went back to her doll, grumbling to herself. ...stupid old man. "Discipline". "Keep it together". Why bother?
I think he makes a good point, actually.
Quiet, you.
'Hi-Hi Yuri! How's it going?'
'mai thank god your here. i need you to send me an ostrich.'
'...Whaaaaaat⁇ LOL. Hey, we won our match! :D The guys did too~'
'thats great. really. but srsly, can you get one?'
'What on Earth do you want an Ostrich for⁇'
'i wanna ride him outta here. hell take me where i needa go. hell listen.'
'You know you're supposed to stay off your feet right now...'
'yah i know. thats why hes gotta jump through the window.'
'On the second story⁇'
'whats yr point?'
'...Yuri, are you feeling alright?'
'oh yeah. never better. cast is itchy and smells a lot but im really starting to like it. gave it a name even. its called hate.'
'I think you should talk to your father, okay? You don't sound so good.'
'he cant help. he cant fix my leg and he wont take me anywhere and i gotta get outta this room. so send me an ostrich.'
'I'm sorry hon, but I really don't think I can find one :/'
'damn. okay ill ask someone else. in the mntime could you at least get me a dildo?'
'GTG yuri. Get well soon‼'
'wait dont go yet'
'mai?'
'MAI'
'WHAT ABOUT THE DILDO⁇'
On the eve of the fourth match - both of her teams won without her, again - Takuma went into Yuri's room to find her surprisingly calm. She was smiling and humming to herself, even bobbing her head to the "music". She was also looking down and writing in a large spiral notebook, which at first glance appeared to be halfway full.
"You look well tonight, Yuri," he told her, a smile of relief on his face. "Is that a new diary?"
"No, no," she told him, shaking her head but not looking up. "I'm writing a play, actually."
"...a play."
"Ya-huh."
"I didn't know you were writing a play," he said, bewildered.
"Just started this morning," Yuri replied, finally looking at him. "It's going really well."
"I can see that," Takuma murmured, who had confirmed that yes, the book was half full (and his daughter's mind was at least half-empty).
"Hey," she said suddenly, her eyes lighting up, "you want me to read some to you⁇"
"...I suppose," he said dubiously.
"Great!" she cheered, quickly flipping to the front of the book. "Okay. Act 1, Scene 1. Ahem. ...'Kippers for breakfast, Aunt Helga? Is it Saint Swiven's Day already?' ''Tis,' replied Aunt Helga...!"
"Er, could you hold on a minute, Yuri?" her father interrupted, looking pale. "I think I left something on the stove..."
"Hurry back!" Yuri told him, as he dashed out of the room. Then she flipped back to where she left off, smiling and humming.
"You know he's not coming back, don't you?"
Really? Why?
Then, out of nowhere, the day of the finals was upon them.
The Womens' Team was still in...
...and so was Team Kyokugen.
They had both made it to the finals for the very first time, shocking the likes of Iori and K' and even Kyo Kusanagi. The excitement level was off the charts; both teams felt like underdogs worth rooting for. When the venue was set and the tickets went on sale, they sold out within an hour. ...but, as father and sister of one of the finalists, Takuma and Yuri had front-row seats reserved no matter what.
They almost didn't take them.
Yuri was still stuck in La-La Land, seeming to think of the tourney as just a big dream. Takuma desperately wanted to leave her behind - but he couldn't find another sitter. As a father, he needed to take care of his little girl, even at the expense of cheering his son. ...but, as a KOF veteran, he eventually realized that no matter who was in the finals, it was kind of his duty to go.
This was a finals match, after all.
Security was absolutely everywhere. Antonov had spared no expense. Cameras and checkpoints and metal detectors and officers upon officers packed the arena. There was actually a satellite monitoring the action overhead, with Ikari fighter jets set to scramble at the first sign of trouble. You couldn't drop a piece of paper without somebody knowing about it. You couldn't sneeze without them knowing. You couldn't breathe.
And not a single fighter there thought that that would be enough.
So Takuma had gone, ready to help his family if needed. Yuri had gone too, broken leg and all; she didn't seem to mind it, though (or anything else). From their front row seats, they could see the action beautifully, having a clear view of all six fighters and even their faces. As the show finally started, and the players took the stage, King cast a sympathetic look Yuri's way...while Ryo grinned and gave her an enthusiastic wave.
King looked back at him in time to notice, and a scowl came over her face. "Really? You're really still teasing her?" she called out.
"I can't help it!" Ryo called back, grinning. "It's really still funny to me!"
The kickboxer's eyes narrowed. "Y'know, I think I might just owe you a breakup asskicking," she growled, walking to the inner circle and putting up her dukes.
But Ryo stood still. "I'm not gonna fight you."
King blinked. "...what?"
"I said I'm not gonna fight you," he repeated calmly. "I don't think we should be together, King, but I don't want to hurt you. Robert and Khushnood should be able to beat you - but I'll forfeit if I have to."
Now an actual growl came out of King's throat. "...you patronizing...arrogant..."
...but then she stopped, as her face curled into an evil smile.
"Say, Ryo," she started quietly, beckoning him forward so he could hear her. "Did Yuri get around to telling you about my little secret?"
Ryo's smile faded. "Yes..." he said carefully, accommodating her without really meaning to.
"She ever tell you how she found out about it?"
"No..."
"So she never told you," she went on, smirking now, "that I made out with her...?"
(At this point they were close enough that nobody could hear them. The whole audience could see it, though, when Ryo froze in place. Dumbfounded, Takuma stared at him, then turned to Robert - but he was as clueless as anybody.)
"...what did you say?" Ryo whispered through gritted teeth.
King broke the tension quickly, though, by breaking out in laughter. "There we go! I knew I could get some fight out of you," she teased, her hand on her hip.
Blood rushed to Ryo's cheeks, and his murder face faded into a much-safer scowl. "Oh, don't even joke about that, King!" he cried, his fists clenching at his sides.
King clenched her own fists and raised them. "Who says I'm joking...?"
Ryo raised his as well. "You want a fight that bad, huh? Then let's go."
The audience still didn't know what had passed between the two, but they could tell it'd raised the stakes. They cheered like lunatics as the fighters ran at each other, the bell sounding right before they clashed. What followed was a dizzying array of punches, kicks and chi. It was over a minute before the first serious hit landed...and when it did, the losing party sprang up like it was nothing.
Unfortunately, the villain didn't have the decency to wait for the match to end this year.
Just a few yards from the fight, a section of the platform started to move. It cracked, crumbled, and caved in, letting out a bright purple beam of light that shot up to the skies. A few more joined them before the source emerged: a great skull surrounded by purple flames, peeking out from under a black eldritch robe. Mocking laughter tore through its throat as it floated from the depths.
The audience descended into panic...but the competitors knew better. At least ten fighters leaped from the stands and ran straight towards the monster, scowling with determination or just groaning and rolling their eyes. Ryo and King were in the latter camp, reluctantly stopping their battle as they turned towards the latest threat.
"BEHOLD, CRETINS," the villain sneered, its voice vaguely identifying it as male. "PREPARE FOR YOUR DOOM, AT THE HANDS OF - "
"I'm sorry," King interrupted, "but does this really matter?"
"...WHAT⁇"
"Does it really matter who you are?" she went on, crossing her arms. "I mean, we've been through this before."
"Yeah," Ryo agreed, nodding. "It's the finals, you're a bad guy, either we take you out or we're screwed. Simple."
The villain paused, considering it.
"ACTUALLY, YOU'RE RIGHT," he admitted. "IT DOESN'T MATTER. ...BECAUSE YOU'RE ALL ABOUT TO DIE."
With that he raised his hands and emitted ten more beams of light, destroying everything in their path.
Chaos ensued. Fighters scrambled forward, backward, and everywhere else, trying to advance on the villain without getting killed. Power Waves and Reppukyakus streaked across the ground; Ein Triggers and Hishokens soared through the air. Mai reached close range first, unleashing a Cho Hissatsu Shinobibachi - and got bounced twenty yards away by an unseen force for her trouble.
It soon became clear that this villain was stronger than most. Direct hits from his beams laid out fighters in one shot, and any attacks that got through his shield seemed to have no effect. Luckily Athena was there to play the role of healer, reducing the life-threatening injuries to merely serious ones. But soon even her powers were exhausted...and their enemy hadn't even slowed down.
Things looked their darkest when even Kyo fell, as a beam cut through a wall of fire to hit him square in the chest. He was the last one to go; no one had died, but no one could fight any longer. A terrifying grin on his skull, the monster ceased his assault, shifting his goal from mass mayhem to single elimination. He started with the target that happened to be closest: King.
The villain floated towards her unconscious body and raised his hand. He didn't fire at once, though; he took a moment, gathering his strength. Then, cackling like a madman, he released a massive beam of light - and Ryo tackled her, throwing them both just past the massive explosion that followed.
"...Ryo...?" King said woozily, startled awake by the hit.
"Okay, that's definitely broken now," Ryo coughed, curling up on the ground and clutching his ribs.
King had come to her senses, but looked no less stunned. "No...Ryo...you..." And then she shot the monster a look of absolute hatred.
"PAH. SENTIMENT. USELESS." He raised his hand again; she didn't have the strength yet to run. "VERY WELL: YOU CAN DIE TOGETHER."
The energy focused, reached its limit -
- and vanished, as the villain was thrown off balance by a gigantic burst of pink chi.
Still unharmed, he turned toward his attacker with an unearthly howl. He found none other than Yuri Sakazaki, held in an upright position by a down-but-not-out Takuma.
"Not my brother, you son of a bitch!"
Her enemy started to growl - but she was already moving, letting another Haohshokohken fly. He dodged it easily enough, but she quickly threw another, a process they repeated two more times. Then the villain seemed to come to his senses: the next one bounced off his shield, sailing into the now-empty stands. Yuri grimaced and stopped firing...and then her eyes widened, as she saw him focusing his beam on her.
But then another chi blast hit him, this time from behind - and in the skull. This one seemed to finally do something, as he keeled over and let out a pained, painful hiss.
"It's the head!" Robert shouted, getting to his feet with his one good arm. "We gotta hit him in the head!"
"Right!" Yuri called back, quickly tossing out a Koh-ken. The monster reflected it right back at her, but she managed to catch it with a Saiha, returning the favor. No sooner had he dodged it than another Ryugeki-Ken hit his skull, keeling him over again. Growling, the villain managed to fend off their next few attacks...then screamed and scattered more light beams, tagging Robert in the leg and forcing Takuma and Yuri to dive to the ground.
But Robert was no longer the only one who'd recovered.
"Heads up, Yuri!" King shouted from behind him.
"Get ready for the big one!" Mai, next to her, cried.
King then launched the Phantom Strike, sending no less than eight projectiles her enemy's way. He managed to catch the first three, but the others got through, all of them hitting his head. Staggered, he had no defense when Mai's Houou no Mai plowed into him, her flames protecting her as she barrelled down onto his skull. This one knocked him out of the air, and he landed face-first on the ground...right as his doom was raising her arms to the sky.
"Kyokugenryu Ougi‼"
Leaning on the guard rail with her chest, Yuri threw down her arms and unleashed the Haoh Raioh-Ken. Used to releasing it in midair, she adjusted the angle a bit - and got it, hitting his weak point dead-on. The titanic burst of chi cut through not only his flames, but his skull, caving it in with a sickening crunch. No longer controlled, the flames exploded, bathing the area in purple light.
And then it faded...the eldritch robe pooled on the ground...and it was over.
Cheers went up from the fighters still able, along with the few audience members dumb enough to still be in the stands. Mai went to check on B. Jenet; Robert was checked on by Khushnood. King pulled Ryo carefully to his feet, then gave him the gentlest hug she could, not kissing him but definitely smiling again. As for Yuri, she just sighed and closed her eyes, feeling useful for the first time in over a month.
Still think I'm funny, Big Bro...? she thought to herself - and when her eyes opened she found him looking at her, with an apologetic smile and a newfound respect.
Her efforts cost her another month of recovery time...but it was worth it.
Just as the Kyokugen and Womens' Teams had never made the finals before, Yuri Sakazaki had never been the heroine before. She'd figured her day would come eventually - after fifteen of these things, it had to be her turn soon - but she still wasn't ready for it. People just kept on calling her: reporters, friends, fans, family members she didn't even remember she had. She had several in-person visitors every day, too - and the Kyokugen school saw a significant boost in membership.
And the day she was up and running, she took over the beginners' classes with pride...and her brother's blessing.
(Not that she needed it, of course.)
End Notes
...I don't know. I just...I don't even ****ing know.
All right, now that the show's over, here's the deal. After this fic, my stories will be posted at AO3 one week earlier than FFN. This will let me keep my friends (I hope) and any readers who won't jump ship, but still let me do my part to promote what I consider the better site. The best of both worlds, at least in theory.
So, now that you hate me, reviews and critiques are welcome! ^_^