A fanfic I wrote about the change in the Hero team from King of Fighters 2003 and King of Fighters XI. Shen Woo and Oswald are two of my favorite people ever in the entire KOF saga (Ash… meh) so I figured it'd make a great first piece.

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Chapter 1

The room was dark and unadorned, and like most dark and unadorned rooms, perfect for conducting secret business in. A single overhead lamp hung over a plain, four-legged table, with two wooden chairs across from each other. All it needed was a haze of cigarette smoke and it would be a classic film noir scene. Unfortunately, neither of the two characters in the room smoked. The one on the left did not because he thought it would be unbecoming of him. The other, because he did not want to stand out. The left-seated person, named Ash Crimson, dressed flamboyantly, almost effeminately, which suited his wiry, spritish form well. His hair was whitish-grey, with a black headband parting it horizontally. He wore red pants and a red long-sleeve shirt with white seams. His face was blue-eyed and freckled. Despite his unintimidating appearance, he was a force to be reckoned with, as he had just unseated one of the world's three greatest powers. And he wanted the other two.

The other figure, named Oswald, looked as though he'd be better suited as a miserly CEO or a famous socialite, rather than his current profession. He wore a green, single-button suit with matching green pants, an orange shirt, and a yellow tie, as well as black gloves and a black hat. An odd combination, but it suited his tanned Irish appearance well. His hair was blonde, but barely an inch long, and he wore small, red glasses. The consumer across from him cleared his throat, and spoke in a voice as waifish as his appearance. "So, you wish to join our team?"

"Yes. Ever since I heard of Duo Lon's departure…"

Ash's face tightened briefly. "There was something fishy about him," he thought, remembering the pale, pliant former team-member. "We're better off without his type." Ash stewed in his thoughts for several seconds, until Oswald broke the silence. "I figured I would make an excellent addition to your team, and you seem to be more than able to provide the benefits to make it worth my while."

Almost as if on cue, another figure burst his way through the door. They say that a person's attire and hygiene make a profound, distinct statement about a person. If this were true, this person's attire would scream, possibly aided by megaphone, "I want to punch someone." From the unbuttoned purple shirt with a silver dragon decal to the black jeans with a wallet chain and a greasy rag in the back pocket, the clothes more than fit the tousled blonde hair and dark eyes with seemingly permanent bags beneath them. His name was Shen Woo, and if you mention his name to any thug on the streets of Shanghai, and 9 times out of 10 he will be known and feared by the thug in question. "Yo, Ash, what's up? Who's this guy?" inquired Shen, pointing a thumb to Oswald. Unperturbed, Ash replied, "If all goes well, he's our soon-to-be teammate." Shen Woo eyed Oswald, unimpressed. "Feh, he looks like he should be managing a bank or drinking martinis. He doesn't look the fighter type to me."

Oswald just smiled. "That," he said, "would be a dangerous misconception."

Shen Woo stepped forward, fist raised. "Wanna get it on, then?" He said this not in anger, but in eager expectation, as if he had just suggested a time for a party. Ash cleared his throat softly. "That would be unwise." Shen looked somewhat disappointed, but felt that today was not the day to go against Ash's will. He harrumphed. "If you insist." He walked towards the door. "I'm gonna go find something interesting. Later." The door slammed shut behind him.

Ash breathed a sigh of relief, not hiding his frustration with his teammate. "He's a handful," he said, "But when it comes to fighting, there are few better at it then him." Oswald nodded, but said nothing.

"But," Ash interjected, as though he were interrupting Oswald in the middle of something, "I do need to see some hint of your talent, so I know you're not just leading us on."

Oswald, outside the vision of Ash, silently slipped a card from his suit sleeve into his hand. He stood up, and casually, almost as an afterthought, threw the card with a sideways wrist snap. The card whistled as it flew through the air of the dim room, and buried itself over an inch deep into the wall with a soft thud. Oswald adjusted his tie. "I think you will find my abilities most satisfactory.

Ash giggled slightly with joy. He had found another fantastic fighter. This year was already won for him. He had taken the Yata Mirror. Who knows what he will get his hands on this time around?