Disclaimer: I do not own King of Fighters, the characters, or premise of the story. They belong to SNK.
Chapter 1: Bar Hopping
A continual gust of wind awakened Rock Howard of his deep slumber. The cool breeze felt good against his skin as the hot sun was shooting its rays straight down on him. He slowly opened his eyes and watched as the night that he fell upon turned into a bright and glorious day.
As soon as he was able to grasp a fair sense of consciousness, Rock realized that he was riding in Terry's motorcycle. The forest that they once slept in was miles behind them now. All he could see was a stretch of road and nothing but green grass on either side.
"Good morning," called a familiar voice. Rock looked over and saw his guardian kicking his motorcycle into full gear. The wind desperately tried to knock Terry's legendary red and white cap off of his skull but it just wouldn't budge. Sitting on Terry's head was its home and it wasn't about to let physics bully it around.
"Hey Terry," Rock said in a somewhat scratchy tone. His mouth was almost completely dry and before he wanted to speak another word Rock had to quench his thirst.
"There's a bottle of water on your lap," Terry yelled above the sound of his raging engine. Surely enough when Rock looked down, Terry wasn't lying. Somehow he always knew to be prepared for ever situation. To Rock this was normal but to everyone else that knew him, Terry's idea of planning ahead was deciding which foot to step with first.
Rock instantly guzzled nearly half of the water provided; pretty good for just a preteen. All of his hard work was paying off. Rock's body was developing faster than even Terry's himself at that age. After a large gasp from air and a refreshing breath of relief, Rock was wide awake and feeling good.
After traveling for almost an hour or so, Rock was getting a bit bored. The scenery hadn't changed much since he awoke and Terry was being pretty quite for this time of the day. Rock wondered what was going on and had no problems asking Terry about it.
"Terry!" Rock yelled. He had to with the speed that Terry was racing at. The engine made a loud thunderous roar every time Terry pushed for more speed. Even the wind threatened to blow Rock's head off if he wasn't careful. "Where are we going?!"
Terry didn't respond. In fact, he didn't move at all as if he didn't hear the question. That wasn't the case naturally. He heard the question he just didn't feel the need to respond that's all. This was the time for Terry to suck in some inner piece and tranquility before he arrived at his destination. There his world was about to shift from zero to ninety in less than five seconds.
He knew it did an awful thing. He knew it the minute he decided to do it, the second he did it, and the hours that passed after it was done. But, in truth it just had to be done. Why? Terry really couldn't say. His instincts acted before his mind, as always, and in the blink of an eye he was here and not there.
The only thing that really concerned him ahead was not where he was going but who was going to be there. He had a lot of explaining to do and he even thought about making up some kind of excuse but in the end he was still the same person he always was. In truth, this was the one time he ever regretted a decision.
"TERRY!" Rock yelled making sure his guardian would hear him this time. Terry's eyes went wide as if he had just been slapped in the face which in truth he felt like it did. Turning to his right he noticed that his young companion was giving him a sincere stare. Terry smiled. Rock was a handful but he was worth it.
Terry responded just by looking out ahead. Rock conceded, knowing that this was the only information he was going to be able to plug from Terry. Actually, the only time Terry ever talked to Rock was either giving advice, ordering a training exercise, or telling him when to go to bed. Terry was acting a lot like a drill instructor than a friend but Rock knew in his heart that this was the way it was going to be and gladly accepted it. Terry was his best friend, his only friend, and they stuck together no matter what.
Their motorcycle skidded past a small curve and immediately bolted down the road, completely ignoring the speed limits. Terry had some place he just had to be and he wasn't about to let something as simple as the law to get in his way.
*COUGH**COUGH**COUGH*
"Take it easy," King persisted. Her plea fell on empty ears. That was only Mary's third glass but she acted as if it were her third bottle. King was beginning to regret the decision of trying to cope with problems with alcohol. Then again, Mary was finally starting to open up instead of being an utterly depressed slouch.
"Give me anudder…" Mary sighed while sliding her glass forward. The four year old speech was a sign of pre-drunkenness so King decided to give her friend a nice glass of water instead.
Mary accepted the drink and doused it quickly just like she had the previous. Luckily it was fast enough so that she didn't notice she had nothing but harmless water. This was just one of the many techniques King learned and applied throughout her many years as a bartender.
"So," Mary continued. "How are you and Ryo?"
King pulled back just a bit. This was supposed to be about Mary. Telling her about her wonderful relationship with the only man she could ever love would just be gasoline on the fire. King had to figure out a way to make it sound as boring as possible. That's when she realized her engagement ring was shining brightly in the dim room. She quickly tugged her hand behind the bar and tried to thing of a good response.
"Ah… Um… Errr…" King was stuttering. This was not good.
"Oh, so you're having problems too? Figures. Men!" Mary said while slamming her glass down.
King threw her hands up and waved them side to side hoping to indicate that Mary was way off base. "No! No! No!" She pleaded. "That's not it at all!"
"Oh… So he's Prince Charming?"
"Ahhhh…." King pulled back.
Mary let out a great big sigh that cut King off and she threw herself backwards as far as gravity would allow before it would pull her to the ground.
"Why can't all blonde guys be the same…?" Mary pondered. Then she thought about how well Terry's younger brother Andy was able to commit to Mai.
Well, at least he doesn't ditch her…
King checked her watch. It had been almost half and hour since she sent Jean upstairs and she knew he had to be getting restless. If Ryo was here there wouldn't be a problem because at least he would be doing something besides watching their new paint age. King let her arm drop hard not letting it slam.
Damnit Ryo! Where the hell are you?!
"ACHOO!" Ryo let out a violent sneeze. His bodily fluid sprayed upon the dull grey cement of his garage. Ryo shook his head trying to relieve himself of his sudden cold.
"Bless you…" Called another from the background.
"Thanks," Ryo said while a snivel. "I don't have a cold. At least I don't think so. Someone must have it in for me."
"Ha ha ha ha," laughed the man in the backyard. "Ryo you're hopeless."
"Knock it off Robert!" Ryo snapped. "If I don't get down to King's bar in the next five minutes, I'll be a dead man!" And with that, Ryo continued to repair the damage on his beloved bike.
Ryo was having another one of his routine debacles with his best friend Robert Garcia. This time it was another situation where Ryo had to be at King's place and his classic restored motorcycle was failing him. Again. And he still wouldn't except a ride from Robert. Again. This would be annoying but Robert found it too comedic to miss.
"You're never going to get that ancient carriage moving again," Robert insinuated. He loved teasing Ryo about his bike. It was the cream in his twenty dollar cup of coffee.
"Shut up! You'll jinx it!" Ryo snarled as he took his wrench and carefully twisted off an oil covered nut. Disregarding any other comments that may and most likely will surface, Ryo went to work on the engine. Once that was taken care of, this old mule will be running once again.
"Whatever you say man. Let me know if you need any parts. Although I don't know anyone has engines that run on mud."
"Ugh…" Ryo sighed. Yet another joke about his precious bike. Robert always had to implement a wise crack concerning the age of Ryo's favored vehicle. Sure everything Robert owned were new, clean, and more importantly running, but nothing beat the satisfaction of building and restoring something on your own. It was like a child that you raise from birth to adulthood. Robert would argue that this situation is the rebellion stage.
"I thought you fixed this thing the last time. I remember it was running just fine."
"Yea…" Ryo coughed while trying to avoid a spray of oil from striking his face. "Well this thing is about as stable as you and Yuri." Ryo couldn't hear because he snapped one of the pistons back into place but he could have sworn Robert cringed. Ryo wasn't one to be witty but when it was his time to step up to the plate he knocked one out of the park.
Robert shook his head. "You know man, you really should upgrade to the newest model. Let me go back to my place and get the catalog. They just came out with the new Honda vt750dc Shadow. Let me tell you buddy, she's a beauty."
"Thanks," Ryo replied while shutting down the cover of the engine, "But no thanks. This is what's it's all about Robert." Ryo wiped the sweat with the back of his hand and threw his juices on the ground. Another inspection and then all that was left was the test.
"If this works man…."
"Knock it off," Ryo replied as he threw one leg over to the other side of his bike. He put the key in the hole and turned it.
It started.
"WOOOOOOOOOOO!" Ryo cheered as the thunderous roar of his beloved motorcycle filled his garage with the sweetest sound in the world. The sound of victory.
"Alright… Alright…" Robert yelled. "I admit I was – "
Suddenly, the bike started coughing and with a sudden splutter, died instantaneously.
"Right all along…" Robert finished.
"DAMNIT!" Ryo cursed. This was becoming a snow ball. First he was going to be late in picking up Jean, then he'd be late in teaching at the dojo, and then he'd be late in getting ready for his date with King before she opened up her bar. Punctuality was just another long word that would have to be thrown away to get through today.
"You should stick to your horses man. You and machinery do not mix."
"AGHHHHHH!" Ryo shouted as he ran back inside his house. "You could be helping you know!" Shouted the aggravated Ryo from deep inside his dwelling.
Robert's face was marked with a wicked grin. "I thought I was."
"NO! PLEASE!" Shouted a bloody individual. He was a middle aged man, not a day over forty but his would be clean brow was covered in his own blood. He coughed and hissed but the grip on his throat tightened.
"I tried to be nice," said the blue haired individual, "But now you're asking me to apply necessary force." K'9999 squeezed hard at the man's throat and he could see a wall of blackness surrounding his eyes. The world was being shut off around him. After one last breath of air, he collapsed on his brown, mutated arm.
K'9999 tossed him aside. He didn't kill him. He made sure of that. There was no point in killing the weak. They already had it bad enough as it is. Some biker or other weak citizen would find his unconscious body and alert the authorities and then life would go on as usually. There was no point in worrying about an investigation. Who would believe a man, who waited at a local bar at ten in the morning, that another man who turned his hair from grey to blue? And then he would have to explain this same guy had a horrible mutated arm that any normal man would fall over trying to carry. A very likely story; for a neighborhood drunk.
Luckily for K'9999, even if the story held up he still had an ace up his sleeve. His right arm was perfectly fine so long as he kept the brown leather thong attached to his body. The police or any other witnesses would have trouble trying to produce a muted arm from his devilishly sleek young figure.
Then again, they didn't really care about being discreet. They didn't have anything to fear. N.E.S.T.S. had most public and government owned institutions in their pockets. They could do as they pleased dressed up like giant gorilla monsters if they so desired and nobody would raise a foul word. Life was sweet if you knew where to eat.
"Over already?" Angel joked. She calmly waited at the bench across the street kicking her legs like an abandoned child waiting for her parents. K'9999 took a seat next to her and stretched his arms across the bench.
"This is going no where!" K'9999 scoffed. Sure it was a good plan in theory but this was, in reality, their first time in a real world environment. And what better place to break in their abilities than the very town that Zero tried to destroy.
"Well… The last I heard, Terry was in South Town. As far as I know, he's a pretty tough guy to track down."
"Shit," K'9999 spit. Here he was in the middle of No-Wheres-Ville, blatantly disobeying orders from his superiors, and he had nothing.
"We've still got another ten or fifteen bars to hit. Are you sure you want to go through with this Kay Kay?"
K'9999 growled. There was that name again. For all he knew, K'9999 got his name because Angel kept saying over and over again during his creation. "Of course I want to go through it him. I'm here aren't I?!"
"But…" Angel appealed while twisting a few strands of hair around her finger, "Why are you so obsessed with Terry Bogard?"
A loud grunt flew out of K'9999. He knew he was going to have to disclose this sooner or later but he wasn't going to say it to just anyone. Angel was the only one person K'9999 tolerated from the N.E.S.T.S. organization.
"Don't they tell you anything besides where the hell people are?!" K'9999 replied with a nasty snap at the end.
Angel tilted her head forward slightly. Not in shame, but rather out of the illusion of shame. Words just bounced off of her near perfect body. N.E.S.T.S. trained her to be the perfect brute warrior. After months and months of nothing but intense weight training and hand to hand combat, she was going to pick apart K''s personal buddy Maxima without a second blink of an eye. Plus, with the support of K'9999, there is no one that these two couldn't handle.
K'9999 took the silence as her version of an apology and tried his best to explain the situation without blowing a gasket right in the middle of the street.
"N.E.S.T.S. made me because I was supposed to do what the prissy, blue haired, whiny little brat couldn't do! I don't know how she did it but she let K' slip out of her hands. TWICE!"
"I know Kay Kay. You are far more superior that K' could ever imagine let alone handle. What does this do with Terry Bogard?"
"I wasn't born yesterday… At least not literally. I saw what happened last year. That guy Terry Bogard destroyed K'. He didn't even have a chance. No matter how hard K' fought, this guy fought harder. In fact, I thought he did the job for us until that bitch Kula decided to interfere."
Angel turned to look at K'9999's face. He was still serious and full of anger. There was much he needed to vent.
"Why should I waste my time trying to capture a traitor when there is still another lurking out there that the morons above wouldn't give two shits about," K'9999 spit another wad of saliva on the grey cement sidewalk and continued. "I don't need to take any orders from them or anybody else. I'll take out this Terry Bogard and when I'm done with him, the geniuses at N.E.S.T.S. would realize how truly intelligent my leadership is."
Angel couldn't agree more. Her partner had an excellent plan and she was willing to back him up all the way. Why? Because she too had the same feeling of dislike for her superiors. Not to the extent of K'9999 but just enough to the point where she would like to go out and do her own thing. Just like K'9999. He hated orders and those who gave them. He was rubbing off on her and that was one thing she did not push back.
"What about Kyo Kusanagi Kay Kay?"
"What about Kyo Kusanagi?!" He replied. It's not that he had a particular disliking for the man. No. Business was business but this wasn't something K'9999 wanted to tackle. Why? Because he was told to do so. He would take care of Kusanagi when he damn well pleased. As far as the powers that be are concerned, he was still down here beginning his mission to take out Kusanagi. Little did they know he was going to help them out in a far greater scale. It takes strong mind to be a leader, but a smart body to carry out orders. K'9999 was manufactured with the pinnacle of both qualities.
"How many more of these wretched, stink pots do we have to visit?" K'9999 asked the empty air. Angel thought she answered this question before but it probably fell on an empty ear. Nevertheless she had to repeat herself.
"I think another ten or so. Who knows? This place is so dull they probably need one of these on every corner."
"Eghhhk!" K'9999 swallowed a grunt. "Zero should have done this city a favor and exterminated everything and everyone in it." K'9999 picked himself up from the bench and started walking. His red cape followed and waved down his right side just in case someone got out of line.
"Did you bring that present?" K'9999 remarked hoping that Angel could hear him. If she didn't, there would be hell to pay. At least for the moment.
Angel cracked a wide smile. She waved the envelope in front of K'9999 and he too in turn, smiled. "It's right here Kay Kay."
"Good. Now his friends will have something to go on after we take Bogard's head." K'9999 smiled. "Not that it will matter." K'9999 threw his red cap around his neck and continued.
Angel wanted to laugh but held it in. If K'9999 wanted her to laugh he would tell a joke. Not this time. This was personal business.
"Let's go Angel. Where's the next dump?"
"There's one here a few blocks down might be interesting. Terry was said to have fought the one named Iori Yagami here. Maybe it has some sort of sentimental attachment?"
"Damnit woman! Why didn't you tell me in the beginning?!" K'9999 kicked the bench seconds after Angel picked herself up from it. The bench went flying and smashed right through the window of the bar they had just visited.
K'9999 walked away from the scene, pacing as fast as he could. He didn't care how far behind Angel was. That didn't matter. They had a good location and now they were going to meet and great this man known as the Legendary Wolf.
Another fifteen minutes passed and everything was taking a turn for the better. Mary was laying off the drinks and sticking with just plain water which suited her a lot better. King finally seemed to calm her down and then the atmosphere was a lot more positive.
*KNOCK**KNOCK*
FINALLY! King cheered. It had taken Ryo long enough. Poor Jean was sitting upstairs in his gi for nearly and hour and here comes Mr. Punctuality. King was ready to let him have it but she knew she was going to have to save most of it for when they were alone.
"Jean!" King called cupping one hand on the side of her mouth, "Ryo's here!"
"Finally!" Jean said bursting out of the side door. King's eyebrows shot up as she saw that her little brother was hanging out in the back room all along.
"JEAN!" King scolded. "I thought I told you to stay put!"
"Com'on sis!" Jean replied while tossing his arms behind his head. "I was bored to tears. You couldn't have expected me to wait up there forever," he replied. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Jean was right. It wasn't his fault. It was Ryo's. Now he was really in for it.
"Just get the door!" King said with her finger aimed at the target. Jean shrugged his shoulders and proceeded to the door. He was about to get a free show anyways between his sister and Ryo. Might as well speed up the process.
Jean swung the door open and looked forward with heavy admiration and a bit of annoyance. "About time you go – ga – GA! – GAHH!"
"Move aside!" Ordered the busty Japanese woman. Jean would have done just that but he was easily moved aside by the pushy girl. Just watching her move so fluidly and the way the light painted on her most voluptuous assets, Jean wanted to do anything she said.
Suddenly, after staring no longer than a few seconds, Jean felt a warm liquid drip from the end of his nose.
"Oh… OH GOD!" Jean cried while storming to the bathroom. He desperately covered his nose with both hands and hoped that anything didn't spill on his precious gi. More importantly, he didn't want his sister to see him in such a situation.
"What the? Mai?!" King shouted. There she was; all 165 centimeters of her. King had no idea what she was doing in her bar but she didn't like it if Mai scared Jean all the way out of the room.
"All right, where is he?!" Mai demanded. She slammed her arm on the nearest barstool that almost gave way under the sheer pressure of Mai's anger.
"Who are you talking about?!" King replied. She had a hunch who Mai was looking for but King didn't want to take any chances. She knew Mai very well ever since they teamed up in the 1994 King of Fighters Tournament and the way she figured it, better safe than sorry.
"Don't play dumb with me!" Mai shouted. "I know Andy's hiding in here."
"Andy?" Mary said while turning around. Even the mentioning of one Bogard brother was enough to arouse her interest.
"Yes Andy!" Mai replied in a very angered tone. "Where are you hiding him?!"
"I…" King pulled back trying not to further ensue the very pissed off Mai Shiranui. "I haven't seen him at all Mai. Honestly!" She pleaded.
"Don't sell me shit and call it ice cream!" Mai replied acting very awkward than normal. For her even to mention a slang insult such as that would have ruined her pretty girl image. This had to be serious. The shock of the phrase she used rattled King enough to the point where she wouldn't allow this to continue. She understood Mai's situation but she didn't have to come here and act all rude about it.
"Mai! Calm down!" Mary ordered. Mai gave a look at the other blonde sitting on a stool and identified her as Blue Mary, one of Mai's worst enemies.
"YOU!" Mai yelled. "You took him didn't you?!"
"Mai…" Mary said with an eyebrow raised. This wasn't going anywhere. She shouldn't have instigated it, her mind pleaded with her but it was too late. Mai already was upset for taking her place in the King of Fighters Tournament last year, she didn't need this on her back now.
"Mai!" King stated. "Andy's not here. Get over it!"
Mai turned her attention away from her first pain in the side and looked right at the second. "I'm not leaving here until Andy comes out. I've got a very reliable source that says he was going to be here in the morning."
King looked at Mai kind of dumbfounded. "Reliable source?"
"Yes!" Mai said while taking a seat. Her mood calmed down a bit and she seemed a bit more relaxed. King was glad to see this change but hoped there wouldn't be any further trouble with her later.
"And if he lied to me I'm going to get him and Andy later!" Mai yelled in the air. After realizing for a moment that King was probably telling the truth, Mai put her head down on the table and vented. "ANDY YOU JERK!"
"ACHOOO!" Andy sneezed.
"Are you alright sensei?" Asked a young boy.
"Yea," Andy replied wiping the bottom of his nose with the back of his hand. "I should take it easy during nights huh?"
The boy laughed. Andy had a way of doing that with him. He always seemed so different when they were together; especially when it concerned Master Hanzo's granddaughter.
"Sensei," the boy asked, "Are you sure it's alright for me to lie to Mai?"
Andy nearly choked on his own saliva. He was still surprised that his pupil Hokutomaru actually helped him out with Mai. Andy is already regretting that decision now.
"Hokutomaru, the bond between sensei and pupil is sacred. Whatever the master says the student should do because the master knows what is right through experience."
"But… I thought you liked Master Hanzo's granddaughter."
Andy cringed again. It was true, he didn't exactly hate Mai, in fact, their whole relationship was a good balance of untraditional and down right insane.
"There are some things that cannot be answered," Andy replied hoping that would silence his pupil.
"Oh, I see… It's just like you told me about the sound that one hand clapping makes, right?"
"Bingo," Andy stated feeling a big sigh of relief exit his body.
"But… Don't you think it's rather mean to tease Mai sensei this way master? I thought you would respect Master Shiranui enough to take care of her."
The previous comments were pretty deep but this one practically caught Andy off guard. He wondered how could such a young boy be so inquisitive and insightful. The notion of it made Andy stare for quite a few moments before he realized he still had a question to answer.
"You see Hokutamaru, I think its best for now that me and Mai remain friends. It's not that I hate her or don't find her attractive," he defended, "But its better to take things slow especially at times like these."
Hokutamaru wanted to blink in defiance but he can actually understand where his sensei was coming from. Nevertheless, Mai was going to find out that he lied to her and the school would get livelier again. The world keeps spinning no matter what the situation.
"So… Does that mean you're going to marry Mai sensei eventually?"
Andy pulled back and threw his arms up in defense. Just hearing the word marriage and Mai in the same sentence made him cringe. He was still a long ways away from becoming a master and that was still a priority over his romantic life.
Hokutamaru laughed at Andy's response. The mood was level again and thus they could continue their training. "Shall we go again?" He said while throwing on his fighting stance.
Andy responded in kind. "Alright Hokutomaru, I don't want you holding back this time." And with that, they went at it.
"So what happened between you and Andy?" Mary asked showing a deep interest. If they were having problems with both Bogard brothers, they might as well share their experiences.
"GOD!" Mai said while slammed her glass of water down. Luckily there was so little left that it didn't spill. Mary's comment must have brought back some troubling memories. "And to think he was actually going to be charming for a change."
"Mai," King sighed. She felt the tickle of a sad story about to come on.
"When Andy came back he was so sweet and caring," Mai commented not mentioning the part of their little communication mishap, "and he even offered to take a vacation together."
"That sound's nice – " Mary replied before she was interrupted but a fist slamming on the bar table.
"And then we fly out all the way to the Himalayas just so he can train for the next two weeks!" Mai cried. "What does he take me for?! It's like he doesn't even consider me a woman…"
All three of them let out a sigh. King wasn't in any kind of situation like them but she knew how they felt. In fact, she lived it for a number of years.
"Why don't you just try talking to him about it?" Called Jean walking down the stairs. "Some guys are as dense as lead. We don't know how to read mixed signals."
"What?" All three of them said in unison. They didn't expect that to happen. Random words of wisdom weren't really on today's menu. Especially with someone who doesn't really have any experience about it.
"Jean? Is everything alright?" King asked. Jean replied with a nod.
"Just peachy sis. I called Ryo and he said he was going to be a little late."
"A little late was half an hour ago," King responded.
"I know. He's having problems with his bike again."
"Ehhh…" King groaned. She should have figured. Ryo was glued to that bike and if it so much had the symptoms of a cold, he wouldn't rest until it was fully healed. "Why didn't he just send Robert to pick you up?"
That thought had crossed Jean's mind but he wouldn't want to waste a perfectly good show now would he? Nevertheless, Jean shrugged and answered as best as he could. "It's alright sis, even if Robert came I'd still be waiting in the dojo until Ryo fixed his bike."
Jean did have a point. King nodded and took a sip of wine. This day was just getting more stressful and there were many hours of it left.
"Alright Jean, why don't you just relax a while longer until Ryo gets here."
"No problem sis," Jean said while heading for his room. It wasn't out of respect or anything of the sort. No, there were still two beauties downstairs and Jean was a developing young man. There's no way he had that kind of endurance yet.
"You're brother seems so sweet," Mai commented. That made King smile.
"Yea, he's one of a kind." That was partially true. There was someone else who matched up to King's standards of a great guy and right now he was probably covered in grease.
"FINALLY!" Robert sighed loudly as the sound of Ryo's engine echoed in the garage. Ryo cheered as loud as he finally got his beautiful machine running again.
Ryo cut the engine. It was working as fine as it did the day it was built. Ryo was satisfied with that.
"See?! I told you it was no sweat," Ryo stated.
"Alright, alright!" Robert backed off. "But shouldn't you get cleaned up, I mean, they've been waiting for almost two hours."
Ryo checked the clock in the garage. "OH shit! I'm a so dead!" Ryo jetted into the house to get cleaned up and hopefully he'd get to King's bar before the sun set. Robert just shook his head and pressed his back against the garage wall.
"The things he does for the one he loves…"
Another half hour passed and the three girls were getting along a lot better than expected. They talked, they laughed, they even exchanged personal advice. This was the first time that King felt like she had some real good friends. Not to exclude Ryo and Jean but she really enjoyed have friends that weren't obsessed with fighting. It was really nice to have friends of the same sex.
"Well," Mai said picking herself up from her seat, "I better get going. I wouldn't want Andy to get worried about me," she joked. Mary and King chuckled silently at the remark.
"Besides… I've got some business to take care of with one of our students," she commented.
"Well, don't be a stranger," King replied. Mai waved goodbye and in a blink, she was gone.
"That was nice," said King. "A lot different than I expected."
"Life isn't all about punches and kicks…" Mary stated. King cracked a half of a smile and leaned forward on the barstool. She checked her watched and almost cringed at the current time.
"Wow, I can't believe it's already noon."
"NOON?!" Mary yelled. She jumped from her seat and checked her watch to confirm the truth. "Oh man I shouldn't have stayed here this late. I've got to go."
"I'm sorry Mary," King stated.
"Don't be. It wasn't your fault. Although it really was more pleasant than I had anticipated."
"Really?"
"Yea," Mary said with a smile, "This is just what I needed."
"FINALLY!" Jean cheered from the staircase. He descended downward flaunting his joy and sat in the closest chair by the door.
"Jean?" King pondered, "What are you doing?" She inquisitively replied concerning Jean's very oblique strut.
"Robert just called me!" He cheered. "He said Ryo left a while ago and that he should be here any minute."
FINALLY! King shouted in her mind. The sheer annoyance of the situation was ticking at King's side like a bad itch that just kept getting worse. Resolution has finally come and King couldn't be more joyed.
*KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK*
"Speak of the dragon," Jean winked as he went for the door. "Don't be too hard on him… Okay sis –"
*SMASH*
"WHAT THE – ?!" Jean cried as he saw the ebony door of his sisters bar break from his hinges and collides with his unexpecting body.
"AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!" Yelped the young Kyokugen student as his body was shot from the entrance and all the way to the back. Jean felt the huge sting as his back smashed against the wall and his now limp body crashed on an empty table.
"JEANNN!" King cried while running to his aid. Mary turned her attention to the door where a piercing bright light entered, shadowing two figures that stood in its way.
The first one, as far as Mary could tell, was a young boy and he calmly proceeded into the room. The other was definitely a female. Her curves didn't tell any lies.
The boy violently pulled an empty chair from one of the tables and placed his leg on it. He rested his hands on his propped knee and stared at the people in the room with a devilish like grin.
"Hello ladies…" He spoke with a touch of menace in his tone. "Can Terry come out and play?"
(Author Notes: Alright, we're off to a good start here, I think. Sorry to make the chapter so short this time guys, I've got plans for the next few and they're definitely going to be longer than this. Maybe I should have made the prologue shorter so this one would look bigger by comparison ^_^. Yea I know cheap tricks don't work, my writing doesn't need to stoop so low… Yet. Alright hopefully never but we'll see how it goes.
Story Notes:
- Hokutamaru: Another Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves character makes his appearance. I read about his from the original KOF 2001 and decided he should have a more meaningful part in the story than what was written. The whole scene with Mai and Andy was something nice I could add to make the two teams meld into one. That way I wouldn't have to think of another chapter title.
Also, Ryo returns in this chapter much to the joy of my two reviewers ^_^. Don't think I didn't miss you guys. Your words help me punch out these chapters faster and motivate me to continue. Chapter two is going to be action packed so don't miss out. Take it easy guys and hopefully I'll see you next chapter.)
