So this is RinoaDestiny (you can call me Rin). =) As Nano said in the chapter earlier, this is a collab piece between the two of us. Our takes on the boys Kyo and Iori are significantly different enough that we thought this would a great and fun idea to try. So we are going to alternate chapters and do different games with each one. Sky's the limit, so that can include video games, board games, or any other type of game that we can think of. Since we cannot double-post, I'll be posting Nano's chapters under my account (we good with that). ^^
So, I'm gonna start my part with everyone's favorite tower of blocks – Jenga. If anyone follows the FGC, there is a gamer from Japan called Tokido who has a constant rivalry (nice one) with American gamer Hungrybox regarding Jenga matches. There is some hilarious commentary from the usual commentators from each year's event. Gonna use that as the basis for this.
This was also surprisingly hard to write. Had to murder my darlings the first time, since everything felt off. Still learning to craft my humor, haha.
It should have been a simple game of blocks, right? Rules weren't complicated, they had a decent place to play – a cozy little game room – and the players, he of the Kusanagi clan and his rival, Iori Yagami were present and currently engaged in remodeling their tower. Having traded barbs beforehand, they were trying to enjoy themselves but there were two things throwing their game off.
One was their ever-circling commentator: Benimaru Nikaido.
Second was…well, okay. Second was also Benimaru Nikaido.
Across from him, Iori swore as the blond rounded too close by the table. The redhead had just withdrawn a block, had it a hairsbreadth away from the tower, and one accidental move, breath, or loud soundwave would upset the entire thing. "Nikaido, you fuck! Get outta here!"
"Is Iori Yagami going to put the block down? Or will the tower fall?"
Speaking of loud soundwaves…
Kyo had no idea who or what put it into Benimaru's head that a game of Jenga (popular in the West, particularly America according to Bogard) needed a commentator. You pushed blocks out, you stacked them up, and you hoped the tower didn't fall. You hoped your opponent made it topple, though. Fairly straightforward. But his friend decided to comment on every single move – Yagami had told him to chirp somewhere else earlier – and it had messed with not only his rival's focus but also his.
"Goddamn fuck." Iori placed his block on top next to where Kyo had laid his earlier and sat back. A scowl twisted his face, showing stress lines. "Kusanagi, tell your friend to get lost."
"Aw, does Yagami not like me?"
"Your insults are stupid, your hair sucks, and that's the worst shirt."
Kyo stifled his laughter as Benimaru took offense to all three. Yagami, sitting there glaring at the blond model, actually had the advantage for once. While Iori could deliver blistering wit and loads of snark, his nicknames for others usually needed work. So far, he'd been slinging a combination of curse words at Benimaru without dropping a single bad nickname. As if he'd been prepared or practicing. As for the hair, well…one had it flaming red in his face and the other was bottle-blond with it sticking straight up. Kinda a tie there. And for the shirt...
Benimaru had on a form-fitting bronze-colored shirt that kept the usual midriff reveal. Yagami, on the other hand, wore a dark red shirt that reminded Kyo of his tournament outfit. However, it was a simple dress shirt without decoration (for once) and Iori looked classy as hell. There wasn't much his friend could attack him with.
Not that he didn't try.
"Oh yeah? You just growl at people or tell them to die. And you call me stupid?"
If only he could tune this out. Kyo moved off his heels, looking for his follow-up move to Yagami's previous success.
"Also, my hair does not suck –"
"It does."
"You probably came from a rooster."
Lame, Benimaru. Can't believe I'm saying this, but Yagami – you've got this.
"Yeah, sure. Call me a cock. Not like you have much of one."
"The girls say otherwise!"
Beni…that's just… He could only ignore the blustering and glaring and fuming and concentrate. There. He tapped out his block. Grabbed it before it hit the table and upset the entire tower. That would be loss by default.
"What girls? Saw you get shot down during the tournies, brush boy. Ain't no girls into you."
"Like they'd be into you?"
Iori smiled. Kyo knew that smile. "Ever see my team?"
"Yeah. What of it? Two women you murdered and are as psycho as you."
"They like me. They stick around. Probably…"
Oh. Yagami's actually going there. Benimaru's red as Yagami's shirt.
"They've lasted longer than you, Nikaido. You and your made-up girls." His rival grinned; it was obvious the direct insult had hit home. Kyo saw Benimaru's eyes narrowing. Great. Fire and lightning. Maybe they should call Kula and get all the elementals in here. Forget the Jenga game. "They know a real man. You're just a speck. Kyo, you done yet?"
"Trying but your little catfight with Benimaru's messing with my game."
"Oh, too bad. You got it. Place it. My turn."
"Hey!"
Thankfully, due to Iori's full-on blast against his friend, Benimaru stayed very quiet as they went through several turns. The tower began to thin out – Yagami played risky as hell, yanking out blocks from even the foundation – and every time Kyo tapped the side, the entire structure seemed to tremble. The gleam in Iori's eyes became anticipatory. Kyo hunched over the table, palms flat against the surface, also waiting.
At any time, one of them was going to lose.
It was now Yagami's turn and his hand stretched forward.
Of course, that was the moment Benimaru Nikaido decided to reactivate his stunned brain and yell. Iori jerked back, actually startled; Kyo dropped a string of curses, all of which were lost in the increasingly loud delayed reaction his friend was having. Son of a bitch!
"Who the hell you calling tiny, Yagami?"
Oh shit. Someone might get murdered here. He didn't know if he had to interfere to stop Yagami from getting fried or to stop Benimaru from being turned into charcoal. The redhead growled in the back of his throat – not the best of signs – while everything pointed to a light show about to happen. Goddammit.
The tower wobbled dangerously.
"Shut up, Nikaido. You want to fight – we do it later."
"No! We do it now!"
"Goddamn it, Beni!" Kyo hollered, adding his voice into the turbulent cacophony. He glared daggers at his friend and then for extra measure, shot the same look at Yagami as well. "Let us finish the game first. You want to brawl…after."
"That's what I said," Iori spat out, returning his heated stare with equal venom.
"You look ready to murder, Yagami. Stay put."
"Not if he stays there looking ready to shoot volts up my ass."
What a fucking headache. "Beni, do whatever the hell commentary you want. Back off from Yagami. Don't give me that look. Back off, Beni."
The blond man pouted. "Not fair! You're supposed to be on my side, Kyo."
"You started it, so don't give me that."
"Don't you know, Nikaido? Kusanagi here has common sense. Which you lack."
"Yagami, quit it. Your turn. Pick your block."
Smirking, Iori tapped out his block – the tower doing an infinitesimal shiver – and placed it, not looking away until it was confirmed successful. Okay. His turn. Kyo cracked his knuckles, shot another pointed look at his friend, who still lingered too close to the redhead, and returned to the game. The tower shuddered; his block reluctant to come out. Shit.
"And Kyo Kusanagi is stuck, folks. Will inspiration come to him or will victory go to the one who shall not be named?"
Subdued and still carrying an unspoken insult.
He wasn't stuck. He just needed to find the sweet spot. The one that would yield for him.
Across from him, his rival sat, face deadpan. Good. He was ignoring Benimaru.
Finally, after a few minutes of studying the precarious structure, Kyo saw a possibility. It was risky as hell but Yagami had made riskier moves and the tower obeyed him. It was a side piece, leaving only the middle block to stand support for the three rows above. He didn't have any other options. He went for it, decisive and precise.
Saw a rare gleam of respect in Yagami's eyes and a re-surfacing challenge in his gaze.
Endgame time.
The block wiggled out; Kyo caught it in his palm. Placed it. The tower teetered, resisted, and remained standing. Whew.
"So Kyo Kusanagi pulls through, ladies and gentlemen!"
Back to being loud. No mention of Yagami – interesting.
"Fucking goddamn hell," the other man said, staring at the barebones structure. "Like picking meat from a scrawny-ass chicken."
"You'd know something about that," Kyo quipped, enjoying himself.
"Shut up."
"Come on, Yagami. You afraid to make the next move?"
His rival glared at him. Went for his block. At this point, anything was high-risk.
Of course, he should've been paying attention to Benimaru. Should've but he was too focused on Yagami's turn to notice the sudden movement on his left. Several things happened in rapid and disastrous succession: Benimaru's Raikoken lit the room (blinding him), Iori actually yelped (Kyo heard rather than saw his knee bang the table), and the tower collapsed in a tumble of blocks flung haphazardly in all directions.
One block fell right into his lap.
The lightning crackled. Disappeared. Kyo blinked, seeing afterimages.
There was a deadly silence.
Iori snarled. Began to rise. Kyo didn't move. Didn't bother telling him to knock it off or restrain him. What Benimaru hadn't realized – should've by now – was that while he and Yagami fought each other often (not even for the sake of their families' feud), when they were united in something, they fought as one. A game (even a simple game of Jenga) was a mutual agreement. Someone was going to lose and someone was going to win. If anyone was a sore loser, they'd scuffle it out later.
Benimaru had upset that balance. Had unfairly disrupted their game.
There were consequences for that.
Blinking the fading afterimages away, he arose too. Saw Iori snatch several blocks from the table and hurl them wreathed in purple flames straight at the blond's head.
Benimaru ducked, yelping and ran out the game room, yelling the entire time. "Kyo! Tell the crazy to stop!"
Nope. Not this time, Benimaru. You shouldn't have done that.
His rival was out the door first, still flinging flaming blocks. Kyo sprinted after him. This, too, was mutual. No words were needed between him and Yagami. Next time, if Benimaru was at a game, Kyo expected him to be well-behaved. Less loud or just conspicuously absent. He wasn't going to do much damage. Just a bit of a lesson.
He just had to keep Yagami from killing him.
He could do that. Easily.
"Hey! Wait for me, Yagami! Don't do…what the hell, Beni?"
It never got boring. Never.
It was impossible with them around.