KoF: Destiny – Interludes
by
RobertCop3
Let me start by posting a SPOILER WARNING: Recently, I had the pleasure of binge-watching the web-based anime series "King of Fighters: Destiny." Obviously, I am about to spoil the shit out of it, so if you don't want to have it spoiled, stop reading and go watch it first. If you're interested, it can be found all over YouTube.
For those of you still with us, I have some nits and criticisms with the series, but overall I thought it was very good. One of my bigger criticisms is that while the fight scenes were very well edited, I thought there were too many of them, and not enough scenes that really let us get to know the characters. So I've decided to write a series of character-oriented vignettes inspired by the web series, things that might have been going on behind the scenes and parallel to the actions we saw on the screen. These are in no particular order, since I'm writing them as I think of them. This first one takes place in the middle of Episode 22, while Terry and Kyo are off fighting Rugal.
And I probably don't have to tell you this, but this project is completely unrelated to my other Fatal Fury/KoF fics.
All characters are the property of SNK/Playmore. I don't own them, the video games, or the web series.
Episode 22 ½ – Rugal Bernstein's cruise ship.
"Welcome back, Mai."
The buxom ninja girl winced slightly as a bright light stabbed her retinas. Eventually, the light became more bearable, and the dark blobs scattered across her vision coalesced into the face of a familiar blond man staring down at her. Mai Shiranui turned her head slightly to the left and right, saw that Andy Bogard was kneeling alongside her, cradling her in his lap. Andy smiled as he looked down at her, tenderly brushed her reddish-brown bangs away from her face with his fingertips, his touch feathery-light. It was the first time in weeks she had seen him smile at her. Pity my head hurts so much, otherwise I could appreciate this moment more.
Mai let out a soft groan, wondering where she was, why she was on a cold steel floor with Andy, and why her head was pounding. She'd only had one glass of wine, and she'd barely touched it. This brought her thoughts briefly back to the party, her annoyance at being unable to find Andy right before her memory became a haze.
"It's about time you got here," Mai said weakly to him with a smirk. "You missed the party, slowpoke. Where the hell did you run off to, anyway?"
"Oh, just some business my team and I had to take care of at Geese Tower," Andy said, suddenly shifting his blue-eyed gaze away from Mai to the floor.
"And that's all you have to say?" Mai asked him, her voice growing stronger now. "Typical Andy: You never tell me anything."
Andy squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, then opened them again and looked back at Mai, his fingertips moving from her forehead to her cheek. "Terry and I settled the score," he told her. "We avenged our father. Geese is dead."
Mai smiled up at him, the first time in weeks she'd actually felt like giving him a smile. "I'm glad, Andy. Maybe now that that's behind you, this means you'll finally take me on a real date when we get back to Japan. Maybe we can even start planning a wedding."
At the mention of that, Andy's hand moved away from her face, and his pale cheeks started to redden. "Um... uh..." He muttered as he became his usual flustered self again, his words once more failing him, as they always did whenever Mai brought up the idea of marriage.
"Hey, beautiful!" Shouted a familiar voice. "If he's too stuck-up to take you on a date, please allow me!" Mai sat up slightly, and saw a lean man with a large, meticulously groomed spiky blond hairdo making his way over to them.
"Butt out, creep!" Mai huffed. She was not in the mood for flirting at the moment. "We're having a private chat here! And anyway, Andy's still cuter than you!"
Benimaru Nikaido winced, as if he had been truly stung by her words, then slipped his hands in his pockets and made his way back to his heavyset teammate, who leaned against the wall and watched the shorter man with a smirk of amusement. Goro Daimon's arms were folded over his his barrel chest, and he gave a small snicker as Benimaru shot him an annoyed look.
After he was gone, Mai turned back to Andy and continued: "Andy, what happened here? I remember being up in the ballroom, looking for you, and then I smelled something funny. I think Ryo-san mentioned something about gas, and then everything went black. I swear I was having the strangest dream while I was out. It was like I was outside of my body, watching myself while someone else was inside it, controlling it. And I wanted to get back into my body, but whatever was controlling it wouldn't let me, so all I could do was watch. I saw myself fighting you. And I... Andy, it... wasn't a dream, was it? Did I do something bad?"
Andy smiled and shook his head, his earlier nerves momentarily forgotten. "Don't worry about it, Mai. What's done is done. You were having a nightmare, but you're awake now. That's all that matters."
Mai's brow furrowed, as she sensed her self-proclaimed "fiance" was not telling her the whole story. So Andy went on to explain to Mai what Heidern had told him, Terry and Joe about Rugal Bernstein, the Orochi, and the Black Crystals, still leaving out the part about Mai attacking him while she was under the control of the Crystals. Fortunately, what he did tell her was enough to distract the busty kunoichi.
Mai sat up a little more and surveyed the room that they were in. It seemed to be a place where four corridors intersected. The walls and floor were drab white and featureless, while the ceiling overhead was lined with fluorescent lights which bathed the room in a sterile glow. In addition to Benimaru and Goro, Mai could see the still unconscious forms of her teammates, Yuri Sakazaki and King, being watched over by a wounded Joe Higashi. She also saw two members of the Kyokugenryu Team, which she and her teammates had defeated in the first round of the tournament, still out cold but propped up against one another. Whatever these Black Crystals were, they had done quite a number on the party guests.
"Can you stand?" Mai heard Andy ask her, his hand resting on the small of her back to help give her some support.
If anything, Mai was already getting restless. She wondered how Andy's brother, Terry Bogard, and the third member of the Hero Team, Kyo Kusanagi, were doing against Rugal, and if they needed help. Not to mention a small part of her was still annoyed with how Andy had acted before the tournament, trying to forbid her from entering. But the looks Andy had given her after she'd regained consciousness showed a deep, caring concern for her, something she hadn't seen from him in a long time. For now, she wanted to enjoy that just a little longer.
"I think I just need a few more minutes," the ninja girl said as she leaned back against his arm, and rested her head on his shoulder. Andy looked uncomfortable, but took a deep breath and managed to stand his ground.
The first thing Yuri Sakazaki felt was a chill overwhelming her body. Her eyes slowly came open, and after adjusting to the light, she noticed the source: she was lying on her side on a sterile-looking floor, her cheek pressed against the cold, polished metal. She groaned and sat up, trying to remember how she got here. She looked around, and not far away she saw her teammate Mai reclining in Andy's arms, looking more relaxed than Yuri had seen her looking in the last few days. She decided to leave them alone, and quickly scanned the room for someone else to talk to.
The next person she noticed after Andy and Mai was a tall, darkly-tanned fighter with spiky brown hair leaning heavily against the wall, looking like he was keeping a watch over her and King. Yuri recognized him as the third member of Terry and Andy's Fatal Fury Team. Joe Higashi, I think Mai said his name was.
"Have a nice nap?" The Muay Thai kickboxer asked her with a smirk.
"What do you think?" Yuri grumbled as she found her feet. "What happened?"
"You and a few of the other fighters went crazy after the sponsor of this tournament used something called Black Crystals on you," Joe explained. "Fortunately, Kyo found them and turned them off. Which is lucky for you."
"Why is that?" Yuri asked.
"You and your teammates were attacking me and mine while you were possessed by the Crystals," Joe went on. "I was holding back on purpose, because I don't like hitting ladies outside of the ring. I was just starting to reconsider when Kyo destroyed the Crystals' power source. So you're welcome."
"Yeah," Yuri muttered sarcastically, and rolled her eyes. "I totally wouldn't have stood a chance against you if you weren't holding back. Sorry if we attacked you, though."
Joe gave a small shrug, though even this small movement nearly made him wince. "Don't worry about it. So far, this night has been more interesting than my usual nights."
Yuri decided to ignore him, then, and got down on one knee next to King. "King-san?" She asked her friend softly, nudging King's shoulder with her fingertips.
After a few seconds, the blond woman began to stir slowly with a small groan. "What's going on?" She asked Yuri as she moved gingerly into a sitting position. "Where's the party?"
As Joe and Yuri brought King up to speed, the group was joined by the Psycho Soldiers team. Athena Asamiya made her way down the corridor towards them, the palms of her hands pressed together, her brow furrowed in concentration. On either side of her she was levitating her unconscious teammates, Sie Kensou and Chin Gentsai. When she reached the other fighters, she lowered them slowly to the ground.
"Is everyone all right?" The violet-haired girl asked as she swept her gaze over everyone, taking stock of who was awake and who wasn't.
"For the most part," said Benimaru. "Kyo and Terry went up to the bridge to deal with Rugal. The rest of us are babysitting the wounded."
"Hmmm," Athena said, and her brow furrowed again. "I'll see if I can find out what's going on up there." She folded her hands and stood there with her head bowed as a soft, pinkish-purple light began to surround her.
Yuri made sure that King was all right, and then got back to her feet and made her way over to her brother, Ryo, and his friend Robert Garcia, who were still out cold and being watched by Beni and Goro. She nudged each of them with the toe of her sneaker. "Oi! Time to get up, lazybones!" She snapped at them.
A few minutes later, both men slowly began to stir and re-enter the land of the living. "Geez, sis," Ryo Sakazaki grumbled as he ran a hand through his spiky blond hair. "You couldn't give us a few more minutes?"
"You're just lucky dad's not here," Yuri told them. "You both know how he likes to deal with people who oversleep."
Both her brother and Robert Garcia nodded, remembering all the times during their training that Takuma had dumped a bucket of ice water on them if they slept even a millisecond past their alarm. Robert cleared the sleep from his throat, and then said to the petite brunette: "Yuri, I think there might be something seriously wrong with this tournament."
"Yeah, we've all noticed," Yuri said with a small chortle. Then, she turned to her brother. "Look, nii-san... what I said earlier..."
Ryo rose somewhat unsteadily to his feet and put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it, sis."
"No, I meant what I said about dad," Yuri went on. "He is stubborn. You both are. I just... wasn't trying to speak ill of him when I said it."
Ryo gave her a smirk. "We're all stubborn. It runs in the family. Just don't forget that I love you, even when you're too stubborn to do as you're told."
"Well, I love you," said Yuri. "Even when you're an over-protective hothead who's too thick to see that his little sister can take care of herself." The two siblings laughed, and then hugged each other.
They were interrupted a few moments later by a cry from Athena. The aura surrounding her wavered and then faded as she sank to her knees, her violet eyes wide with terror.
"Athena-san!" Yuri shouted, rushing to the pop star's side. "Are you okay?"
"Darkness," whispered Athena, taking several deep breaths to calm the shaking in her voice. "I sensed an overwhelming aura of darkness from the bridge, blotting out everyone else's energies. This power of Rugal's... is stronger than I imagined. The powers of Kyo-san and Terry might not be enough to stop him."
Grim expressions marred the faces of everyone in the corridor who was still awake. Before anyone could say anything else, there was a loud bang which came from the door at the far end of the room. Everyone turned and saw about two dozen men and women swarm through the doorway, dressed in black and gray combat fatigues, black berets, and armed with assault rifles.
The fighters still on their feet started to assume stances, while those who were not tried their best to get up. But instead of attacking, most of the armed soldiers took up defensive positions along the corridor, while six of them strode towards the little group in a triangular formation with their weapons lowered, their heavy boots making loud footfalls against the floor.
When they got near, the soldier who was taking point and appeared to be in command clapped his boot heels together, and gave them a brisk salute. "We're with Interpol," he said crisply. "Commander Heidern sent us to escort the wounded off the ship to safety. We have transportation waiting outside, if you'll come with us."
Yuri sprang back to her feet, stared defiantly at the men. "The hell I will. I'm not wounded, and I don't need to be kept safe!" She then swept her gaze around at the other fighters: "You all heard Athena-san just now! Kyo and Terry need our help."
"Oh, no you don't, imouto-chan," Ryo said as he started towards her. "We've had more than we bargained for from this tournament already. If anything else happens to you, dad is gonna disown me! I'm surprised he hasn't already."
"Zip it, nii-san!" Yuri snapped at him. "Your team lost to mine, remember? That means I don't have to listen to you."
Ryo opened his mouth to protest some more, but Robert stepped between him and his sister, and started to push the blond man backwards. Ryo shut his mouth, the words dying in his throat as he shot a venomous glare at Robert.
The platoon leader looked confused now, removing his beret to scratch at his head. "Well, miss, the commander gave us orders..."
"Right," Yuri said with a curt nod. "To get the wounded off the ship. Not all of us are wounded. Some of us can still fight."
"She's right," said Mai, who was now back on her feet. She reached down the front of her gi and pulled out one of her signature fans. "We'll need to decide who wants to go with these men, and who's gonna stay and fight. I'm with Yuri-chan. Whoever this Rugal creep is, we'll make him pay for trying to turn the Queens Team into his puppets!" She went over to stand by her teammate, and then glanced over at the third member. "King-san, are you coming?"
King, who was still sitting down, rose awkwardly to her feet, and then gritted her teeth and winced. She pulled up the cuff of her lavender trousers, saw that her ankle was swollen to twice its normal size. "Sorry, girls," she said. "But I can't fight on this ankle. Hit him once for me, will you?"
Yuri and Mai flashed her a thumbs-up. King returned it, and then started limping towards the door, leaning against Joe for support. "I've taken too many beatings today already," Joe said over his shoulder. "Sorry, but I've got nothing left."
"I'll go with Yuri-san and Mai-san," Athena said, as she rose back to her feet. "I shall do what I can against this darkness." She then said to the platoon leader: "We left Kim Kaphwan's team knocked out in one of the holds. Will you take care of them, please?"
The man realized he wouldn't win this argument, and didn't feel like injuring his own men trying to force those who wouldn't go quietly. So he nodded, turned to the five men behind him, raised his left hand, and flashed several rapid signals at them with his fingers. Without saying a word, three of the soldiers nodded, then turned and raced back up the hallway.
"I'm going, too!" Benimaru said, strolling over to stand with the three women. "Kyo's gonna need my superior brains and brawn to get him out of this. As usual." He turned to Goro. "How about it, big guy? Wanna join the party?"
Goro Daimon shook his head. "This is what the Kusanagi clan were destined for. The true power of the Orochi is far beyond my own strength." He walked over to the still-prone forms of Kensou and Chin, slung one of them over each of his massive shoulders. "I will help take care of the wounded."
"If you're going, Mai," Andy said, "I am too." He took a few steps towards the group, and then doubled over slightly, one hand going to his chest. Mai rushed to him, grabbed the hem of his sleeveless white tunic and dark blue undershirt, and pulled them up. She winced in sympathy when she saw the large bruise covering most of Andy's torso, so dark purple it was almost black.
"Andy, you can't come with us like that!" Mai said as she pulled his shirt back down. "You've probably got broken ribs. You'd only slow us down." Andy tried to take another step forward, but Mai planted her feet against the floor, put both hands on his shoulders. "Do you have a death wish, you big dummy?" She snapped at him.
"But Mai," Andy protested. "I can't lose... I mean that, I... don't, um... want anything to happen to... Terry."
Mai could tell what Andy had really meant to say, and her expression softened a little. "Don't worry, Andy," she said. "I'll make sure nothing happens to Terry. None of us are allowed to get killed, you know. If we die, then we won't be able to enter the next tournament. And my team still needs to beat your team, so that I can show you the error of your ways." She gave him a quick peck on the forehead, and then went back to stand next to Yuri.
Yuri fixed Ryo with a withering glare. "Your move, nii-san."
Ryo looked like he had several things he wanted to say, but in the end he knew that if he went, he'd be too distracted with looking after Yuri to be of any use in the fight. "Good luck, sis," he said, then turned and started to follow one of the soldiers down the hallway. "Take care," Robert Garcia added, and then hurried after his friend.
"Okay!" Yuri shouted. "We are now the Rescue Team! Show us where to go, Athena-san!"
"Right." Athena turned and started towards the opposite end of the corridor, with Yuri, Mai and Benimaru following. Mai had only taken a few steps when the bouncy ninja girl heard Andy call her name. She turned and looked at him impatiently.
Andy gave a her a sheepish look, and then simply said: "Um... good luck."
"You owe me that date when I get back," Mai answered, then blew him a kiss, turned and ran to catch up with Athena and the others. Andy watched her for another minute, and then allowed Heidern's men to lead him outside.
ADDITIONAL NOTE: Right now, this is the only idea I have, so I'm taking requests. If there's any particular character or team you'd like me to write a vignette for, please tell me in a review or PM. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it! And as always, feedback is welcome.
