Shadows Of The Dark Flame

First Arch: Master & Servant

By Chaos Hero Mark

Chapter II: Servant

As I finally got home, I received an incoming call on my cell. It was the head of the K.O.F. sponsorship, Miles Geoffrey.

"Chizuru Kagura speaking."

"Chizuru. It's Miles. I take it you heard the news."

"Just recently."

"Good. I need to meet with all the sponsors in the next week. Can you-"

"Yes. I'll be there. I'll be returning to work only after that."

"Good. I'll see you next week, then."

Once that was over, I placed my bike in the garage and made my way inside. I was not sure of what to expect, but I had to keep my guard in case he tried something. I made my way to the dojo where I left him. He was still trying to fix the door, but I could see how poor his inexperienced attempts were. I looked around to see if anything has been damaged.

"Have you ever done this before?" I asked him as he laid the tape to rest and turned to me. He remained silent and averted his eyes from my gaze. "I'll take that as a no."

He finally answered me, by saying. "Is there something you need?"

This was a surprise. "Already eaten?" I asked him. Since I came back, I was surprised he didn't trash my place. In fact, I wonder if he was spending most of his time in this room. "Cause it looks like you never left this room the entire day. And I recall only asking you to fix that door, after your wounds have fully healed. Come with me."

I went into the kitchen and took out a skillet. It took me a while to find the egg lifter. As I turned to get the eggs, I saw him standing near the kitchen's entrance. I couldn't help, but get the feeling that he was staring at me. I couldn't tell if he was either, mesmerized by my beauty or harbored a grudge against me for last night. "Take a seat. This will take a few minutes." After fixing him some scrambled eggs, I took a seat and watched him eat in silence. At that moment, I realized that I forgot to feed Chee-Chan.

I saw him stopped eating when he saw the look on face and said. "I didn't know what to feed her, so it took me a while to find the proper food." I went to the living room and made sure he didn't kill her. To my relief, Chee-Chan was well and active as always. I returned to the kitchen, keeping my eyes on him. What happened to that rage I saw yesterday? There's no way he would submit so easily. I was about to speak when he asked with a small hint of malice in his tone.

"Why did you attack me?"

"I needed to test you. Nothing more." I lied. Unfortunately, he saw right through it.

"Your not being completely honest."

"It's best you know little for the time being. I have much to teach you, so I hope you're a fast learner."

He continued to eat in silence. When he saw my eyes staring at how fast he ate, Kusanagi slowed down and continued. Once he was done, I wanted to take his empty plate, but Kusanagi rose from his seat and took it himself and placed it in the sink. He didn't bother to clean his own dishes or even mutter a thank you. I let out a sigh and asked him. "Are you still angry at me?"

"Hmph." Was all he grunted. I rose from my seat as well, having him narrow his eyes at me and just left. I followed him back to the same spot where we first fought and saw him take his stance.

"What is the meaning of this?!" I asked. But my words fell on deaf ears as he attempted his Darkness Sweep. The shock look on his face showed as nothing happened.

"What the Hell did you do to me?!" He snarled.

"This would go a lot easier if you'd submit to me."

My choice of words only angered him further as spat. "Fuck you!!" He dashed at me and attempted throwing a punch. I dodged him very easily and stood on the other side. I saw for a moment that his breathing was heavy. He turned and dashed at me again. I was about counter, when I saw his body gave way as he fell to his knees, coughing. I became wary of him, thinking he might use this trick to have me lower my guard. Then I saw him coughing out blood and became even more worried as he clutched his chest. I went to his side to try and help him. "Take it easy. Let me help you."

I held out my hand, but he slapped it away. "Don't...need your help! Now...fight me!"

"No."

"What?!" He barked with venom in his voice as he tried to stand by himself.

"My attack has done more damage to you than I thought. It's a miracle your still standing. In your state, you've already lost." At that point, he gave me a sinister laugh and assumed his fighting stance. For a moment, I couldn't help but wonder if his laugh was empty, his smile hollow and his eyes carrying no life in it. I tried to reason, knowing that I could kill him. "Death is an experience I'd rather you not go through yet. I don't wish to kill you. You have too much to live for and a purpose calling you."

"Is my purpose being your slave?! Your dog?!" He spat. "I serve and answer to no one!!"

"A slave? No." I answered, hoping to get through to him. "A servant? Yes."

"It's all the same to me, you fucking bitch! Lets end this!"

"It's not." I shot back, slightly annoyed by his attitude. "If your a slave, I would have every right to dispose of you like used goods, regardless if I'm right or wrong. A servant is someone who answers to his master and follows him. In return, the master rewards the servant based on his deeds and character." Once that was said, Kusanagi became silent, though I heard a grunt coming from him. "As it is, your the one who challenged me to a fight, knowing that you'll lose. Let your wounds heal first, then decide from there if you want to be the disposable slave or the exalted servant." I managed to keep my cool as he dropped his guard. I had him lean on me as we head back inside. This time, he didn't refuse my hand as I offered it.

- I -

Two days after that incident, I was busy with my work documents on my laptop. Between preparing for work and teaching Kusanagi the ways of servitude, it was a slow and tiring process. I know that he hated it, but I also knew that it would help him cope with the outside world. I kept my eye on him now and then, but mostly left him to his work around the household. Once I was done for the day, I shut my laptop and checked on him. In the dojo, I saw him half-naked, practicing his kenpo on the wooden puppet I had put away. All he wore was a three-quarter gray shorts out in the sunlight. His muscles hardening itself as his torso was endowed in sweat. From where I was standing, I actually found him attractive. I then noticed he was done mopping the floors, and quite fast at that.

"You're hard working, as always." I got no response from him. He clearly hated working for me. To get him talking, I asked him a different question. "Your martial arts training. Where did you learn it?"

He stopped his practice and turned to me. I saw how somewhat confused he was at the question. "Don't know. I guess you did."

"If I did, I would've told you." I corrected him. "Our fighting styles are very different."

He grunted in resignation. Then I just know it, I guess." Even with his powers suppressed, I knew it wouldn't be long before he desired to know the origins of his fighting style. I had to come up with something and fast. "Is there something you need?"

"No. I just came to see how your holding up."

"I'm fine." He muttered and went back to his training. I knew he was lying since I could see him clutching his lower abdomen now and again, but I decided not to bring it up. I then sought to ask him a question, knowing that he didn't find his answer to it yet.

"Kusanagi, why do you fight?" He stopped his Kenpo training at that moment. I waited patiently for him to speak. He remained silent, not willing to answer that. "You needn't answer now. You can tell me when you've found your answer." For a moment, he remained quiet. Perhaps my rough approach helped created some enmity between us. Something I can't afford to have in the future. "When your done, I'd like you to put the dummy back where you found it and fix the door. Later on, I shall teach you how to cook."

"Yes, Master Kagura." He answered in an icy tone, avoiding my gaze.

I became troubled of the hostility building between us. "I hope we can put our differences aside work together."

"I barely even know you." He murmured and went back to his training. I left him to himself, thinking I had much work ahead of me.

Another three days had passed as I continued to teach and monitor Kusanagi. By then, the hostility between us went down slowly. I was very tired and decided to take a bath. My bathing spot was a wooden area, with fine stones built as the bathing spot. There were small shrubs and grass here and there, along with the option of turning it into a steam room. With a set of clothes put aside, I shed my towel, covering my nakedness and submerged most of my body into the water. For a while, it felt good relaxing myself. Then, I slowly began to doze off and eventually fell asleep. I had to be careful, lest I forget my mission. That dream of the green flame still haunted me. I couldn't even see who the bearer was, nor who our new enemies were. If the worst comes to pass, Kyo would die. If that happens, at least Kusanagi would make the perfect substitute. As for Iori Yagami, he would be another task. I opened my eyes narrowly and saw someone was inside with me. As my vision got wider and clearer, I saw Kusanagi staring at me, wearing a white sweater along with his black pants. I fought the urge to panic, submerged my body back in the water and with one arm, covered my breasts.

"You're not suppose to be here!!" I screamed. He was seated with one arm resting on his bended leg.

"Here." He handed me my towel, which I grabbed without hesitation and covered myself. I was about to verbally chastise him, when he said. "A Reiji Oogami is here to see you. What should I tell him?"

"Tell him I'm on my way!" I snapped at him. "Now, leave!" He stood to his feet, mesmerized by my beauty. I couldn't help, but blush a little. I felt nearly afraid that he would attempt to violate me right then and there.

"You should lock the door next time." He murmured and left. I breathed a sigh of relief, quickly drying myself and got dressed. Making my way downstairs, I began to fear the worst. If Reiji learns of Kusanagi, it would be disastrous for us all. I made my way to the living room and pushed a few buttons on the lock pad, near the door. Outside, he was waiting for me with his daughter in tow as the gate opened. They made it to the door as I opened it for them.

"I would've been here three days ago, but some affairs kept me back." He smiled as they both stepped in. He looked at his daughter and motioned to her. "Mina, say hi to aunt Chizuru."

"Hello." She gave a formal bow. I found Reiji's daughter to be quite adorable.

"Why, hello Mina. How are you today?"

"Fine, aunt Chizuru." She smiled.

I turned to Reiji and said. "Make yourselves comfortable." I showed them to the dining room, doing my best to mask my fears. Reiji and took a seat as I spoke. "I'll have some tea made for you."

"Thanks."

I went inside and found Kusanagi already preparing a tray with two cups of tea. "What are you doing here?" I whispered behind gritting teeth. "And fix your hair. You look terrible." He ignored me, went to the fridge and took out a small juice. I assumed it was for Mina. I tried to stop him as he went inside, but it was too late. Reiji and his daughter had already seen him.

"Hey there, friend. You look like you had a bad hair day." Kusanagi let out a grunt of displeasure. Serves him right for leaving his hair in a mess. "Name's Reiji." He held out his hand. By the attitude Kusanagi gave him, I had to come up with something and fast. I just pray this doesn't blow up in my face.

"I'm sorry, Reiji. I forgot to introduce you to my house servant. This is Syo Kirishima." I motioned towards Kusanagi, who was beginning to scare Mina. "Syo, I'd like a word with you, now." Kusanagi placed the tray on the table and left without another word. I motioned for Reiji and his little girl to wait, while I dealt with this. Thank God he didn't recognize him. I followed Kusanagi to the dojo. Once we were out of earshot, I confronted him.

"It seems to me that you have problems listening to anyone! Next time you-" Was all I managed to say, when he grabbed my shoulders and slammed me against the wall. His dark look began to surface as he snarled at me.

"What the Hell did you do to me?! Where are my flames?!" He now knows that I tampered with his powers. I found myself afraid of him for the first time and fought the urge to panic. I felt tempted to fight him as I could feel his face drawing closer to mine. His breath rubbing against my neck, whispering. "I didn't realize how beautiful you are."

I did my best to keep my voice from its panicked state. "If you so much as touch me-"

"I won't." He murmured. "I'll do your bidding for the time being. But don't think for a second that I'm your mindless slave. If you piss me off again like that time, I'll incinerate you without a second thought." He released his hands from my shoulders and stepped away from me slowly, while keeping that dark look. "I'll be practicing my kenpo, lest you need something from me." As I saw him went to get the practice dummy, I did my best to get myself together. I thought it be best to keep up the act for a bit, while the Oogami's were still around. As I returned to them, Reiji was slightly worried.

"Chizuru, are you okay?"

"Yes." I answered. "Syo is practicing his Kenpo to let off some steam. He has to learn to treat people better."

"I didn't know he has martial art experience. Anyway, I hope there's no bad blood between the two of you." He murmured and took a sip of his tea.

"Let's hope not." My tone signaled the end of this topic. I saw Mina listening to some music on her large headphones and sipping on some orange juice. I began to take my cup of tea as Reiji began to speak.

"I got your message, concerning an urgent request."

"Yes." I began. "I take it you've heard about Kyo Kusanagi's disappearance after this year's tournament."

"The current King Of Fighters champion? Yeah. It's actually all over the news." Reiji's expression then became very grim. "What happened out there? Better yet, why wasn't I inform that you ended up in the hospital?"

I knew that Reiji and those of our clan left were worried for me. But they left in the dark of what truly happened. I took a deep breath and said. "Firstly, thank you for you concern Reiji. You probably heard about the large damage mound left in the upper parts of South Town."

"Yeah. What about it?"

"The Orochi was awakened." The second those words left my lips, a shocked look overcame Reiji. Out of what's left of the Yata clan, Reiji Oogami is the only one who has nearly all the advanced skills as myself, even though he uses ancient martial arts. He only lacked the ability to dream the possible future and sense dangers. "Do not fear." I attempted to set his mind at ease after taking a sip of my tea. "My injuries were bad, but they were nowhere near what Kusanagi and Yagami had to bear. In fact, I made sure what really happened never landed in the hands of the media. They're known to poke their noses where it's not needed."

"You managed to re-seal him with the help of the other clans. Now one of them goes missing..."

"Both actually." I corrected him. "Yagami's missing as well, which is why I called you here."

"You want me to look for them?"

My expression became grim. "I'd ask someone else, but you're the only one I can trust right now. Your fighting prowess is second to mine and my injuries haven't fully recovered yet, which is why I believe you can handle this."

He turned to his daughter for a moment, who was still listening to her music and drinking her orange juice. He then turned to me and asked. "What should I do afterward, assuming I find them?"

"If they are being pursued, contact me and have them go into hiding for the time being. I have a bad feeling that someone is after them. I also ran across an enigma group during the K.O.F. 97. I thought they were part of the technicians and such. But I couldn't shake off this nagging feeling that there was something shady about that group."

Reiji thought for a moment, while finishing his tea and then asked. "Were they lackeys of Geese Howard's or Mr. Big's?"

"I wish I was wrong, but I don't think they worked for either men."

"What if it's as you say and they were kidnapped for whatever purpose?"

I finished my tea as well and we both placed our cups back in the tray. "Then find out who and get out of there. After that, contact me and I'll take care of the rest." He gave a worried look, as if I'm diving into danger myself. "Don't worry Reiji. I have some powerful friends who can help. Being one of the most powerful enterprises has many benefits. I already have people searching, but I want you to go where they can't. If it's a powerful group behind this, don't try to fight them. One can't hold the fort against an army, regardless of the individual's prowess."

He flashed a smirk and said. "Thanks for the pep talk."

"Your welcome." I returned his smile with one of my own. "Contact Geoffrey Miles. The sponsors are covering this secret operation, so you needn't worry about finance."

"Hey, that reminds me. When is your conference with the big boys?"

I let out a sigh and before I could say anything, my cell received a message from Mr. Miles himself. The message read. 'Conference 08:00am 3 days.' I turned to Reiji and said. "In three days."

"You don't look too happy about it." He muttered with some concern.

"The K.O.F. 98 tournament got canceled. Miles better have one hell of an explanation for this, because my friends weren't too pleased either. Me and the other sponsors even had money poured into that event." I quit my nagging and gave Reiji a pocket cellphone. "Here. There's a number for myself and Mr. Miles. It's encoded in a way so that it's heavily protected from hackers." I looked at Mina and asked. "What about her?"

"She'll stay with her mother and the other members."

"Be careful out there."

"You be careful too, Chizuru." He took the phone and motioned to his daughter that it was time to leave. I saw them out and waved goodbye to Mina. Once they were gone, I went to see what Kusanagi was doing.

- II -

I got to the dojo, only to find the dummy on fire. Kusanagi was on his knees, clutching his hand. I neglected to tell him that every time he forces his suppressed powers to surface, I would cause him internal injuries. I took out the fire extinguisher, placed at the wall, near the door and doused the burning dummy. It wasn't long before he snapped at me.

"You did something to me!"

"Yes." I began. "I suppressed your powers. From the moment I made you, I knew your violent attitude would cloud your reasoning. It's time we put an end to this nonsense!"

"What do you want from me?" He murmured softly.

"Serving me is not as bad as you think. You may not believe this, but I need your help with what's coming. I need to know if I can trust you! I need to know that you won't rebel and go insane!"

"I hardly know you!" He snapped at me, as he stood to his feet. "Why the Hell should I trust you, much less bow to you?!"

"You can't know someone in just five days. It takes time, but that's not the point! As for trust, that's your choice, but know this. I never intended to create you with a dark nature, but I can't help you change if you continue like this! Submit or rebel! It's time for you to decide right now and for good!" The harsh tone in my voice indicated that I've reached my limit with him. I had a feeling that something was going to happen and I only wished I had more time with him. Should he choose the latter, I would be left with no alternative but to kill him and conclude this task a failure. For some time, he didn't say a word. His expression ranged from confused to distrust. Maybe I was getting a bit desperate resorting to blackmail and threats. But I didn't want to show that and I needed any leverage I could get over him. Eventually, he shut his eyes in resignation and bent his knee in submission.

"Fine." Came his first words, after some time. "You win." I stared at him for a while and concluded that he finally submitted and was ready for the next step. I told him to wait here and left to get my medical kit. I came back, took his hand and performed acupuncture on his throbbing hand.

He felt its stinging effect, but I told him. "Grin and bear it." He silently bore it and soon, I eventually removed the needles, indicating that it was done. He rubbed his hand and felt no pain, whatsoever.

"Interesting. Where did you learn this?" He asked.

For a moment, I hesitated to speak. His question struck a cord with me as I whispered. "Maki taught me." I stood from the floor, packed up the kit and left him at the dojo. I didn't want him to ask me who Maki was. I didn't want him to see my pain. A mere servant like Kusanagi, created out of the mirrors magic, could never understand the emotions I held. Hatred is his only strength and he would only see anything else as weak.

Trivia:

Reiji Oogami – This guy is only in KOF EX2: Howling Blood. He is one of the ten sacred treasures and a member of the Yata clan. A representative of Chizuru sent to find Kyo and help him investigate the interference with the Orochi seal.

Mina Oogami – Reiji's daughter. Yes, I made her name up, since they never mentioned her name at all.

Geese Howard – Fatal Fury's main villain and crime lord of south town. In Art Of Fighting, he leads a double life between being a police commissioner and a criminal kingpin. Krauser's half-brother & the killer of Terry's father, Jeff Bogard.

Syo Kirishima - Syo Kirishima is the early design or prototype of Kyo Kusanagi. He is Kyo's substitute striker.

Maki Kagura – The older/twin sister of Chizuru, who is now deceased. Not much is known about here, except that she worried for her family & the fate of her clan. She was killed by Goenitz about ten years before the K.O.F. 96.

Authors Notes: A thousand apologies for this...very...late update. Despite the KOF fandom moving as slow as a snail, I wouldn't mind some reviews on this. Normally I wouldn't ask, but this is my first time doing a character's point of view. So I wanna know if there's anything I can improve on.