So, this vignette is a bit goofier than the ones that came before it. It's a silly idea that came to me as I was bored at work one day. It's told from the point of view of a lonely teenager running one of the concession stands during the KoF tournament, which gets visited by several of the fighters. Hope you enjoy! And as always, feedback is welcome.
All characters are the property of SNK/Playmore. I don't own them, the video games, or the web series.
Episode 11 ½ – The KoF Tournament Venue...
Most of the preliminary rounds had ended, so there were probably a bunch of things he could have been doing to prepare for the second rush. Instead, the youth leaned casually against the glass and steel counter of the concession stand, flipping through a program, reading about the various teams. On the other side of the counter, a similarly-bored looking teenage boy was pushing a broom across the tiled floor, sweeping around the area of a large set of double doors which separated the outer stadium from the arena where the King of Fighters tournament was in progress.
"I just peeked in on the action, Derek," said the boy with the broom. "Looks like the Chick Team just totally wasted the... um... Ki... Ko... Kukamonga Team?"
The kid behind the counter gave a weary sigh. "It's the Queens Team and the Kyokugenryu Team, Steve," he said. "Geez, if you don't even care about the tournament, don't even bother trying to say the team names."
"I probably care just as much as you do," Steve said with a shrug of disinterest. "About certain aspects of the tournament, anyway. Oh, just FYI: You've been reading that same page forever."
Derek glanced down at the program in his hands, which was open on the bios for the Queens Team. The center of the page contained some very high resolution photographs of King, Yuri Sakazaki, and Mai Shiranui. Derek blushed as he quickly turned the page and pretended to start reading about the Ikari Team.
He then heard the sound of someone clearing their throat on the other side of the counter, so he quickly dropped the program and did his best to look professional. He did a double take, however, when he saw that the two customers were the same people that he'd just pretended to read about.
"You're sure you wanna eat some of this stuff, Ralf?" The blond-haired man asked his comrade as he surveyed the concessions.
"We'll need to keep up our strength, Clark," Ralf answered. "Especially if the shit hits the fan, like the commander keeps saying it will."
"You're talking about the semifinals, of course?" Clark said, at the same time raising his eyebrows in the direction of the civilian who stood there waiting for their order.
"Um... of course I am," Ralf said with a nervous laugh, then turned his attention to the clerk. "One hot dog with the works and a diet Coke, please," he said. Then he asked his friend: "Sure you don't want anything?"
Clark shrugged his broad shoulders. "Ah, what the hell? Get me a bag of honey-roasted nuts."
Derek was still a little intimidated by his customers, so he made numerous fumbles while getting the order together. He dropped the hot dog when he picked it up off the roller with tongs and tried to put it in a bun, so he had to start over with another dog. Then he accidentally filled the cup with Sprite instead of diet cola, dumping it out when he'd gotten it half-full and spilling a little on his shoes. Then, it took him three tries to enter the correct prices into the register.
"Come on, kid," said Ralf, who had already taken a bite of his dog. "We gotta get back in time to watch the Sports Team fight."
"Got it," Derek said, and finally managed to get the order right. "Okay, that will be seven-fifty."
Ralf's demeanor changed suddenly as he passed Derek a ten, and gave him an icy stare. "You can keep the change, kid, on one condition: anyone asks, you never saw us here. Got it?"
Derek stood there for a moment, a single drop of sweat rolling down his cheek. Then he managed to move his arms again, and reached for the money. "Um, got it," he said.
As the two soldiers turned and started walking back towards the arena, Derek wondered why they'd be so eager to watch the Sports Team. After reading about them in the program, he was surprised they were even competing at all, especially against some of the world's most skilled martial artists. Publicity stunt, I guess, he thought to himself as he put the ten in the cash drawer, pocketed Ralf's change, and then slammed the drawer shut.
He was about to pick his program up and resume reading when he saw three more people approaching his stand. One of them was a well-built, dark-haired Japanese man who looked to be in his forties, dressed in a white gi, flanked on either side by two younger men. One was blond, also Japanese, and wearing an orange gi, while the other was dark-haired, appeared to be European, and was dressed in white slacks and a purple, button-down shirt. The two younger men both followed the older man cautiously, taking light steps as if the floor were thin ice. Derek recognized them as the Kyokugenryu team, which Steve told him had just been beaten by Mai, Yuri and King.
Halfway to the concession stand, the elder man spun suddenly at the two walking in his shadow. "How could you bring such shame to us in there?" He asked with a sad shake of his head. "First, you allow Yuri-chan to skip the country. Then she comes back, and you didn't even try to stop her from signing up for KoF with those friends of hers: that ninja floozy, and that blond girl who dresses like a man!"
"Technically, we did try, pop," said Ryo Sakazaki. "At least, I tried, anyway."
Takuma Sakazaki raised a beefy hand. "Silence!" He snapped. "And now: you just let them make a complete mockery of our fighting school! What was that sorry display I just witnessed? Where was your coordination? And where did Yuri-chan learn to fight like that? I told you she was to be taught defensive moves only!"
"We were doing that, just as you instructed," said Ryo. "But, we can't watch her twenty-four seven! Who knows what she studies in her free time?"
"And, in our defense, Takuma-sensei," said Robert Garcia. "Yuri-san does take after you quite a bit, especially with that will of hers..." He slowly trailed off as he realized the mistake of what he had just said.
Takuma's dark brown eyes fixed firmly on him, his jaw clenching, the vein on the side of his forehead becoming more prominent. Even from over at the booth, Derek thought he heard the man's teeth grinding together.
"Garcia-san," he growled. "I've always admired your spirit and your willingness to give up your pampered lifestyle for one of honor and discipline. If you hadn't advanced in your studies the way that you have ever since I took you in..."
"Hey, look!" Ryo interrupted him. "There's a snack stand! Why don't we just get something to eat before we continue this discussion? It will calm our nerves. I mean, remember what the doc said about your blood pressure, chichi-ue."
Takuma blew a long breath out through his clenched teeth, and then relaxed slightly, his broad shoulders slumping in defeat. "Forget it," he said. "I don't have an appetite right now. My stomach is acting up. I think our loss to a team of women is giving me an ulcer. I'm going back to the dojo to have a stiff drink, and then sleep this off. Tomorrow, we had better redeem ourselves." He turned on his heel and stalked away.
Once he was out of earshot, Ryo and Robert allowed themselves to relax, as well, and then made their way over to the counter.
"What can I get you?" Derek asked as they approached, trying to act like he hadn't overheard everything that had just went on.
"Tell, me, kid," asked Ryo. "Do you have any siblings?"
"Uh uh," Derek shook his head.
"Then tell your folks not to make any," Ryo told him. He was silent for a moment as he looked over the menu, and then said: "Give me a chili cheese burger and two spring rolls."
"The same," said Robert. "And a root beer."
As Derek got the food together, he overheard the two of them speaking low to each other, like they were conspiring.
"So, where to now?" Robert asked.
"Now," said Ryo. "I feel like taking a walk outside. The last thing I want to do is run into my sister, or one of her teammates."
"You don't want to see the Sports Team?"
"Why bother?" Ryo retorted. "It's gonna be a short fight, anyway. I mean, what could they possibly do against Kyo's team?"
Robert nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right. And I could use some air." A few moments later, Derek had finished preparing their food, so Robert paid him, and then the two combatants started towards the exit.
There was another lull after they left, so Derek started to reach for his program again, when he saw three very attractive women approaching his stand. Having read through the program a few times out of boredom by now, he recognized them instantly as the Queens Team.
The one in the middle, a well-endowed Japanese woman with long, reddish-brown hair pulled back in a pony tail, wearing a very revealing red and white fighting outfit, leaned over and placed her elbows on the counter. "It's been a good day," Mai Shiranui said to her teammates. "First, we soundly defeated Yuri's dad's team, then Terry more or less took down the Psycho Soldiers on his own. Pity I didn't get to see Andy fight, though. Oh, well, we're one step closer to kicking his team's ass. Let's celebrate with a snack!"
She leaned over the counter a little more, and Derek tried his best to look the kunoichi in the eyes, but he was only sixteen, and Mai's voluptuous breasts threatened to spill out of the red fabric that just barely kept them covered. So it was a losing battle.
He stood there with his eyes bulging as Mai surveyed the stand's offerings. It was a mix of both east and west: foods like jumbo beef hot dogs, burgers, nachos, and pretzels shared space with fried pork dumplings, steamed beef buns, teriyaki skewers, spare ribs, and crispy deep-fried noodles. After a few minutes, the busty ninja gave a small tsk of disapproval and straightened up a bit. "Nothing here but fried bread, salt and fatty meat. I don't see how Americans can eat so much of this crap." Then she asked Derek: "Don't you have anything light?"
"Um, light?" Derek said to Mai's expansive chest.
Mai smirked and pointed to her face. "My eyes are up here, kid."
Somehow, Derek managed to move his gaze up, going red in the face. "Of course they are," he said. Behind Mai, her two teammates were rolling their eyes. "Um, something... light, you said? Like what?"
Mai sighed, reached down to the garter wrapped around her right thigh, and pulled out a folding fan. She put one hand on her hip and turned slightly, giving the youth a better look at her profile, then she opened the fan and started to flap it daintily in front of her face. "Look, junior, you think what you're staring at right now just happens spontaneously? It takes a lot of work to maintain this gorgeous figure. Do you have any vegetables? Any sashimi? Any steamed rice cakes?"
Derek's eyes had moved again from Mai's face to her bombshell body. After a few minutes passed with no answer, Mai snapped her fan shut and rapped it hard on the counter, making Derek jump a few feet in the air. "Pay attention!" She growled at him.
King shook her head and placed a restraining hand on Mai's shoulder. "Relax, Mai," she told her friend. "He's just a kid. His life's complicated enough already. He doesn't need you coming along and messing with his already raging hormones."
Derek straightened himself up, then. He had taken some offense to the "just a kid" remark, which helped him regain a little focus. "Um, I know that Brett's stand sells a lot of healthy junk," he told Mai, trying to sound as helpful as possible. "He's on the other side of the stadium."
Mai growled in frustration and slipped her fan back into her garter. "So I'd need to walk all the way over there?" She turned and started to make her way towards the double doors leading back into the arena, running her mouth the whole time. "Never mind, I'll just have Andy take me to that Japanese restaurant after all the preliminaries are done with. This time, he'd better not stand me up, or I'll have his head."
"So, you want anything, King-san?" Yuri asked the blond woman after Mai's voice started to fade into the distance.
The kick-boxer shook her head. "I'm not hungry."
Yuri pulled some cash out of the pocket of her gi and said to Derek: "One bag of popcorn, please."
Derek did not hear her, as he continued to watch Mai walk away, the red and white tails on the back of her outfit swaying from side to side, providing brief glimpses of her toned thighs, her curvaceous buttocks...
"Um, hello?" Yuri said to the slack-jawed teenager, louder this time. She then waved a hand in front of his face. Nothing. "Okay, then," said the petite brunette. "Here's my money." She waved a dollar in his line of sight, and then placed it on the counter. "I'm just going to put that there, and then I'm gonna take a popcorn. Okay?" When Derek did not reply, Yuri simply nodded, pretending he had heard her. "Okay."
She jumped over the counter, helped herself to a bag of popcorn, and then jumped back to the other side. She and King then left to catch up with Mai.
When they were gone, Derek was finally able to blink again. Steve stood nearby, leaning on his push-broom. "Man," said Steve, "You'd have to be the biggest dumbass in the universe to stand up a babe like her. That, or gay."
"Yup," Derek said, hunching down slightly behind the counter in an attempt to hide the tent he was now pitching in his slacks. "Hey, Steve," he then asked the other teen. "Can you cover me for a few minutes? I have to, um... use the bathroom."
"Sure, whatever," Steve said nonchalantly as he moved behind the counter. Derek grabbed up his program and took off like a shot towards the Men's Room...
He looked much more relaxed when he came back a few minutes later. "Where's your program?" Steve asked him, noticing that his friend was no longer carrying it.
"Oh, um... I dropped it in the toilet by mistake," Derek said quickly as he went back behind the counter. "Guess I'll have to find another one after my shift is over."
"Right," Steve said with a nod, then resumed his sweeping. "I just hope you remembered to wash your hands."
The next several customers were, to Derek's relief, normal people. Then he used a lull to refill the popcorn machine, and as his back was turned to the register, he heard a voice ask: "Excuse me, I'd like the strongest drink that you have."
Derek turned back around, and saw no one. Then he realized he was looking too high. The person who had spoken was an old man with white hair that covered most of his face, slightly unsteady on his feet, who was just barely tall enough to peek over the counter.
"The strongest one we have?" He repeated to the old man, who gave a brief nod. Derek turned around, opened the cooler that was under the popcorn machine, pulled out a twenty-ounce bottle of Jolt cola, then stood and offered it to the man.
Chin Gentsai accepted the bottle, twisted off the top, then made a face after taking a sip. "Hm... is there any alcohol in this?"
"Um, no, sir," said Derek. "There's no alcohol at this stand. And I'm under eighteen, so I can't sell it, anyway."
"That's right," Chin said. "I forgot we were in America. Ah, well, I'm sure I can find something to mix with this."
A second later, he was joined by two others: a dark-haired youth in a sleeveless red gi, and a woman with long purple hair who looked like she was dressed in some type of school uniform. She looked familiar, somehow.
"Oh, no you don't, Chin-sensei," said the dark-haired boy as he snatched the bottle away. "You remember what happened the last time you drank caffeine." He took a swig of the soda, then recapped it and stuck it in his pocket.
"That was a freak accident, Kensou-san," Chin grumbled at his student. "This time, if I mix it with some booze, I'm sure it will balance out." He reached for Sie Kensou's pocket, his eyes looking hopeful under the bushy white bangs that blocked them from view.
Sie remained adamant, however, and swatted his master's hand away. Then, he turned to the girl standing just behind him. "You want anything, Athena-chan?" He asked her.
ATHENA? Derek did a double take, then realized that it was indeed Athena Asamiya who was gracing his concession stand (well, not his stand, just the one he was assigned to that night). He couldn't name any of her songs, but he did have a rather nice poster of her on the wall of his room. It had been expensive, since he'd needed to order it from Japan, but it had been worth the extra price, as it had helped him through a few restless nights.
Athena saw the look of recognition in the clerk's eyes and gave a resigned sigh. "No, thanks, Kensou-san," she said wearily. "I'm not hungry."
Sie nodded and turned his attention back to the clerk. He frowned when he noticed the way that Derek was looking at Athena, and quickly clapped his hands together a mere centimeter from the other boy's face.
Derek jumped again, even higher than he had when Mai had struck the counter with her fan. "Hey!" Sie Kensou snapped at him. "Pay attention to your work, not the girl. We'll take the soda, and however many meat buns this will buy." He reached into the pocket of his gi, and pulled out a twenty.
Derek's face went red, and he turned, grabbed the tongs, and started to load the buns into a box. If Kensou were not in his line of sight, he would have licked the food as he was boxing it. Then, he turned back around and handed the box to Sie. The dark-haired boy snatched them away almost contemptuously and then thrust out the hand containing the money.
Derek accepted it, and then pretended to fiddle with the buttons on the register. After a few minutes, he gave a shrug and said: "Sorry, but the register doesn't seem to be working. Any chance you would be able to get your girlfriend to... um... sign an IOU? I'm sure you're good for it."
Athena straightened up suddenly, her cheeks flushing. "Um, I'm actually not his girlfriend!"
Kensou's brown eyes took on a wounded look for a split second, then they narrowed into deadly slits as he fixed Derek with an icy glare. Chin, who until now had been standing there mourning the loss of his cola, suddenly moved faster than Derek ever thought such an old man could, striking the side of the register with a swift chop. With a cheerful ding, the drawer suddenly popped open.
"Oh, look, I fixed it," Chin said in a jovial tone. "Now, please give us our change so we can get back to watching the rest of the fights!"
Derek put the twenty in the drawer, counted out the change, and offered it to Sie. The Psycho Soldier accepted it, but the speed at which he snatched it suggested that he was trying to rip the clerk's hand off. Even after Chin and Athena had started to walk away, Sie Kensou stood there for another moment, glaring at Derek, his teeth grinding together. As he stood there, Sie took one of the buns out of the box and took a rather intimidating bite, tearing it slowly like a vulture might pick at a carcass.
Then Chin shouted: "Let's go, Kensou-san! I need to find a booth that sells booze before the Sports Team's match starts!"
"Hmph!" Sie Kensou snorted contemptuously at the clerk, then turned and started off after his teammates. Derek watched them leave, paying close attention to Athena Asamiya. Her skirt was short, but she wore a pair of purple tights that covered her legs completely. Somehow, this made her look even hotter, as the absence of bare skin made him fantasize about just what she wasn't showing. He remembered how the leggings she wore on his poster showed off just the right amount of thigh. He then tried to picture her with bare legs, and from there he started to wonder if she was wearing panties under that skirt...
God damn it! Derek cast a quick look around, spotted Steve still pushing his broom not far away. He called over to him: "Hey, Steve! Can you spot me again? I, um... gotta go to the bathroom."
"Again?" Steve snarled as he threw down his broom and started towards the booth.
"Sorry, dude," said Derek. "I... um... I got the runs!" Then he jumped over the counter and started to race back to the restrooms before his friend could say anything else...
ADDITIONAL NOTE: Yeah, this is my silliest one so far, but it made me laugh, and honestly, I really only write fanfic for myself. It's not my fault if others are crazy enough to read it.
Also, I got to do something with Takuma, which I'm happy about. One of my criticisms with the series is that they left him out completely, even though he's clearly a member of Ryo and Robert's team.
Hope you enjoyed it. Please keep the reviews coming!
NEW UPDATE AS OF 07/02/2019: Since I've had no new ideas for this fic in over a year, I'm marking it as COMPLETE for now. If I ever get another idea, I'll add to it, but in the meantime, the offer I made at the beginning still stands. If you have an idea based on the web series that you want to see made fanfic, leave that idea in a review. Though honestly, there's been no news on the series for a while now, so I think it's stuck in development hell. But who knows? Maybe I'll be back to this someday.
Until next time...