CHAPTER 2
September 2005, somewhere in the highlands near Wrexham, Wales.
K' and the rest of them were having a picnic at the countryside. Whip was busy preparing the food while Kula would persuade K' and Maxima to play Frisbee with her.
After that, they sat down under the tree and had their food. It was then Whip opened her mouth for important business.
"I have to tell you guys something. I'll be leaving you all when KOF XI starts."
"Hmm……." K' remained at his spot.
"Huh, but why?" asked Maxima.
"Captain Heidern just rang me up a few days ago. He wanted me to replace Leona in the team for KOF."
"Ara, it's weird for Leona to be out just like that." said Kula.
"Yeah, there must be a reason for that." said Maxima again.
"I'm not that clear either. But remember that K' fought with the ones claimed to be related to the Orochi? Apparently Leona had Orochi blood in her, and she could go mad when she's close to the Orochi power. Heidern wouldn't want to risks getting her mad in the next tournament again like the previous ones, so he decided to give her another task during that time." explained Whip.
"Not that god damn KOF again." K' was not happy with that.
"Hei, relax K'. That doesn't mean we have to enter KOF. Maybe we just have to support Whip in the tournament. After all, there's no more reason for us to enter right now." said Maxima.
"Maybe you're right." K' then turned to a corner to rest.
"By the way, how's Diana? It's been months since she went searching for Ron?" asked Maxima again.
"I'm not sure either. Haven't received a letter from her for more than a month now." replied Whip. Kula seemed to be a little upset.
After that, none of them said a single word anymore. Some time later in the evening, they packed up and returned to their cabin.
That night, however, changed their mind about KOF once again. It was late in the night. But they couldn't sleep that night. Kula was looking out at the window. Whip was still watching TV, while K' and Maxima stood at a corner of the house.
"Orochi, Mukai, Shion." K' mumbled to himself. He was still feeling uneasy about their earlier conversation. Suddenly the telephone rang.
"I'll get it." Maxima went and pick the phone. After some while he went to K'.
"It's master Chin. And he wanted to speak to you urgently."
"What the fuck………."
K' went and pick up the phone.
"Hello."
"Nie hao, boy. Remember me?"
"Damn you, old man. Do you know what the fucking time is it now?"
"Heh heh, calm down, boy. I won't call you just to say hi. Furthermore it's still daytime here in China, so forgive me for the inconvenience."
"Enough nonsense. What do you want?"
"Well, you should know about the upcoming KOF XI, don't you?"
"What the hell now? You know I really hate KOF? What are you trying to tell me now?"
"Well, basically, I know you're still not satisfied for not being able to crush the ones that you fought in the last tournament. He was related to the Orochi, right? And I began to feel the presence of the Orochi power once again in KOF. Maybe he's still around. So you can still bash him once again."
"That's not good to convince me yet. I don't want to have anything more to do with all of this. I told you before; the Orochi has nothing to do with me."
"I know, but to tell you the truth, though you didn't tell me, but I know you have seen the true colors of the Orochi power. The fact that Kyo and Iori are still missing, you know you're the only one I can count on to stop the Orochi, as long as Kyo and Iori returns, and Ash do not interfere this time."
"Are you telling me you want me to be a substitute for them again? You're shit, old man! And I don't give a damn on this Ashy boy. Don't tell me you're not entering again this time?"
"I hate to tell you about this, but Kensou's missing."
"What's that suppose to mean? Huh."
"Soh chai. He's been missing since last week. I've been searching for him till now but still no clue about it. Athena doesn't even know about his whereabouts. Without Kensou around, I can't let Bao manage himself alone. So I've decided to pull out again to be with Bao."
"You're telling me I'm the only one worth sacrificing to the Orochi?" K' was already mad.
"That's not what I mean. After all, you're the only one who can be related to Kyo, so it's your burden too. "
"That's the same as making me a barrier to stop Ash, right?"
"That's just part of it right now. I'm still not sure about Ash's true identity or his real intentions. That's why I still need you to help me investigate more about him. I know he's up to no good about the Orochi, but he's still a mystery to us."
"Yeah, I bet Kyo will come out and face him sooner or later."
"Maybe it's too late. So I do want you to stand by first. And I think I have to tell you this. I recently checked the KOF blog, and I found an article which was apparently posted by Ash himself. It was more like an insult and challenge statement."
"Grrr….. what did he wrote about me?"
"He wrote that you're no match at all against him, and that he's the greatest one of all. And Kyo and Iori are also no match against him. To him, the three of you are just the same, all rubbish. He sent you a challenge in the next KOF. He's hoping to whack at least one rubbish there even if Kyo and Iori are not around again. Well, if you don't believe me, you can ask Maxima. I'm sure he knew about it."
K' was furious. He turned towards Maxima, who was surprise with his actions.
"Maxima, is it true that Ash wrote a blog cursing me and challenging me? Speak the truth!"
"Errrrrr…………. Yeah, it's true. I just saw it recently, but I thought it's better not to tell you."
"Hmmmmmmmmm……….. bastard." K' turned back to the phone.
"Listen, old man. I'll enter. But not your sake or anyone's. I just want to settle the score with this Ash. And I want to finish off those guys. I can't rest in peace until I get rid all of them. And the next time I meet Kyo, I'm gonna prove to him that I'm not like him at all."
And with that K' slammed down the phone. The rest of them began to gather near him.
"Well, what's wrong?" asked Kula.
"Hmmmmmmmm….. we'll have to join KOF again."
"Whoa…….." Maxima closed his mouth, overreacted.
"But the most important thing is to bash up those who stand in our way. And I don't give a damn to Ash and Orochi."
"Wait, our team……." Maxima paused.
"Whip's teaming up with Heidern again. So Kula will just have to join us."
"Whoa, really? Oh,great! We'll always be together even in KOF." Kula jumped in joy.
"That's a little good. Captain will be glad, at least it'll ease his pressure in hunting down those wanted ones. I better go tell him now." Whip went to get the phone.
"Hey, Diana would be glad to hear this. I wonder if I can still reach her on the phone?" Kula rushed to get the phone. Not long, an argument can be heard between Whip and Kula over who should use the phone first.
K' went to the window. Maxima looked at him.
"Are you sure about this? It's not that you're willing to join as usual."
"I know. Didn't you hear what I say? I must bash them up before I can settle down in peace. Only by that we can finally get out of this KOF. And to think about this god fucking Ash…….. arrgghh!!!"
K' groaned in pain all of a sudden. He grabbed his right arm. Flames were engulfing his glove unexpectedly, and uncontrollable. The flames with erupted because of the Kusanagi relations, and the Orochi which binded the two of them together. K' yelled in pain, held his hand high up and slammed it down onto the ground. Part of the house exploded and burst into flames.
