Shikkoku: I don't own KOF. I do own any original characters that appear in this story.
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The King of Fighters: New Blood
Act 1: Arrival
By Shikkoku Kiyoshi
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Rain was pouring down when the SSC walked out of the museum.
Zyon, who had managed to recover really fast, decided to drive the team home since Xion was still too disoriented to do anything. Raven and Krysten were still celebrating in the back of the car, debating on what extravagant order they should call room service with when they get back. Xion had fallen asleep again, and Zyon just wanted to get home and rest.
When they go to the hotel (again, using the back entrance), Irena went off to her own room, saying that their next match will happen the day after the last match of the current round, which was tomorrow. Raven and Krysten went to their room and ordered the most expensive items on the menu. Xion was resting quietly on the bed, finally looking like he was getting better.
Zyon, however, was restless. It wasn't because he lost so quickly in the match; he always knew that using those flames had a chance of him becoming more susceptible to damage that if he hadn't used them at all. He just didn't feel like doing much of anything right now. Noting that the people had mistakenly put alcohol in the mini-fridge, he took one of the glass bottles of beer and started to drink as he left the room.
Somehow, he found himself on top of the roof. It was a very beautiful view of the city, the lights managed to brighten the area, so Zyon had no trouble moving around the place. As he went to look over the edge of the building, he heard a gun click. Zyon knew that it was probably pointed at him, and sighed.
"Dammit, what's wrong?" he said without bothering to turn around. "Did I interrupt some meeting or something?"
The person who was behind him lowered the gun. "I'm very sorry, it's a habit."
"That's okay." He finally turned around to see a young brown haired girl in what seemed to be a military outfit. "What the hell are you wearing?"
"It's my uniform." She said plainly.
"Are you part of the military or something?"
The girl gave a small smile. "Something like that." She took a closer look at Zyon. "Wait, you're one of the kids from the tournament!"
Zyon grinned. "Yep. My name is Zyon Kasanari."
"I know. You're the guy with the fire right?"
"Uh…I guess you could say that. Anyway, what's your name."
"Whip."
"….." Zyon blinked, before grinning. "I think I know how you got that name. Your mom must have been one of those people who likes to use..."
"NO!" Whip hissed. "I work for a military organization. I'm not telling you my real name."
"Fine. What are you doing up here at this time of night?"
"I was hoping I could come up here and think for a little bit. I had no idea that you would be strolling up here to get drunk."
"I'm not trying to get drunk." Zyon said, throwing the now empty beer bottle off the roof. "I'm just bored." He paused for a moment. "Are you in this tournament too?"
Whip nodded.
"Which team are you in?"
"I'm in the team with Ralf, Clark, and Leona."
"The Ikaris?" Zyon knocked himself on his head. "I should have known with that outfit."
They stood their silently towards the horizon for a few moments.
"Well, I'll see you again soon." Zyon said, deciding to leave her alone, but before he could walk away, something tight wrapped around his arm. It looked like a blue rope, and that rope yanked him off his feet and drug him across the ground.
Zyon could hear Whip laughing softly as she dragged him towards her feet, then yanked him back to a standing position.
She brushed the hair from his ear. "Between you and me, I think you are really cute." She whispered. "But if we meet in the battlefield, my whip tends to cry for blood, and I have no choice but to provide it." She let go of him and walked off.
Zyon rubbed his arm. "Why is it that the cutest girls I meet are usually the ones who want to kill me?"
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The next day…
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Raven woke up to the sounds of Krysten watching cartoons. Yawning he got up and washed up real quick.
"Raven," Krysten called. "You better get down to the breakfast buffet before our teammates get up and devour it."
Raven thought about not going, but his stomach was already growling loud enough for people to call animal services, so he decided to go downstairs before it was too late. Before he left however, he decided to inquire Irena about when the flight to the next match leaves. When he arrived at her door, he knocked gently and she opened the door about a minute later, wearing a towel around her body. It took everything Raven had to not run away.
"Good morning Raven." Irena didn't seem to notice the very uncomfortable look on the boys face. "I just finished up dying my hair again."
Raven noticed it was a pale red now. "How many times do you dye your hair, anyway?"
"It depends on how long it takes me to get tired of my current color. It's kinda weird, but my boss likes it. Anyway, what's up?"
"When's our flight leaving?" Raven asked, the tension relieved somewhat.
Irena thought for a second, "Give me a half hour, and I'll have your answer. At the meanwhile, go downstairs and get some breakfast. Your blond friend just left five minutes ago."
"Shit!" Raven cursed before he ran off to keep Zyon from eating everything up.
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Ralf and Clark had convinced Leona to go get her something to eat from downstairs, since she was up all night trying to continue her investigations into the sponsor of the tournament.
"After what happened at the other KOFs, why would anyone want to hold another one?" She thought to herself. "Better yet, why do people keep entering? Maybe if we all decide to sit out KOF for a change, maybe things would be more peaceful for us."
All of a sudden, a crash was heard from the balcony upstairs. Looking up, Leona saw a blond boy running from another person with a more darker shade of blond and a red thing around his neck. They disappeared for about a moment, then reappeared on the bottom floor. Since they got there at exactly the same time, they stopped running and made their way towards the huge assortment of food.
"What to do, what to do…" Raven said as he and Zyon just started putting all sorts of stuff on his plate before sitting down and eating in a way not usually seen by the hotel's rich customer base.
Leona looked on in disbelief. How did these guys get into KOF?
"Kickass! They have champagne too!" Zyon got up and rushed to the champagne counter, shoving a couple out of the way to get 4 glasses.
Draining the first glass quickly, he offered some to Raven, who refused politely, so he drank the other three glasses.
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Irena finally got herself dressed up and was on her laptop, checking all the current standings on the tournament.
"I see our little experiment is doing a excellent job so far." She smiled to herself. "At this point, everything is right on schedule. Now, it's time that I end my stay here." Reaching under the bed, she took out a small box full of various spray cans and a small gas mask. Putting the mask on her face, she got to work on thanking the people here.
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"I've been meaning to ask you…" Raven asked Zyon. "When did you start having flames?"
Raven and Zyon back upstairs, and with plates full of food that Krysten and Xion where gobbling up..
"I been experimenting with it for a while now, it's pretty complicated." Zyon put on his gloves again. "Basically I can only manipulate fire at this point, not summon it. Without a source, I can't even make a ember on my own." He took out his lighter and ignited the blue flame. "It's kinda like how a lighter works. I have the fuel, I just need a spark to light it."
"That's pretty cool." Krysten said. "Do you think you can teach me how to do it?"
"I haven't even begun to master it yet. This method is only until I learn to make flames on my own." Zyon blew the flames out. "I'm getting closer, but still not at that point yet. It also slows me down somewhat, so I'm not as fast as I am normally."
Irena opened the door. "Your plane leaves in a hour, so get packing." She announced.
"Why do you have paint all over you?" Raven asked. Irena just smiled and left.
After getting packed, they were getting ready to leave when Irena asked for the keys to the other two rooms and that she'll meet them downstairs. They were at the door for about 10 minutes when they saw their representative running towards them.
"Car…Car…Get in the car NOW!" She shouted, rushing by them in a hurry. The SSC was confused, but decided to do what she said. They rushed to the car and started their drive to the airport.
"What was going on up there?" Zyon asked.
"I decided to show those jackasses at the hotel how I feel about them questioning your worth."
"How?"
"I rather not say right now." She laughed softly.
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Back at the hotel, the housekeepers walked into the room that Irena just left. When they opened the door, they found the room covered in paint. The pictures and random furniture that was in the room was shattered all over the place. On the wall was a giant 'X' with dots placed inside the left, right, and bottom corners. On the bed was a note...
Don't you ever question the ability of the Shin Sekai Chitsujo again.
Irena Toryu
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"Anyway," she continued, "Your next match will be set as soon as your plane lands."
The rest of the trip was without incident, and before they knew it, they were on the plane. Everybody was asleep but Raven. He was staring out the window, looking at the clouds. The SSC had won, but he still wasn't exactly satisfied. While he managed to get a move in as a striker, he wanted a real match.
"Watcha thinking about?" Irena, who was sitting next to him asked.
"Nothing…" Raven sighed for a moment. "You know, I like your hair that color. Maybe you should keep it that way for a while."
Irena blushed. "Th-thank you."
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Shikkoku: Yeah, It's short. This is more filler than anything, and it didn't really give you anything new besides the deal with Zyon's flames, and the beginning of a situation with Whip and the SSC which will develop more as we go along. The second round is next chapter, so it won't be up for a while.
Well as promised, here's the first of the bios for the SSC, starting with the team leader:
RAVEN KIRISHIMA
Fighting Style: A unnamed style he learned from his foster family.
Birth-date: Doesn't Know
Age: 16
Birthplace: Doesn't know.
Blood Type: A
Height: 5'10
Weight: 150 lb
Hobbies: Fighting, Sleeping, Pissing off Krysten
Favorite Food: He'll eat ANYTHING.
Best Sport: none
Most Important: His younger brother and adoptive family
Dislikes: Having Amnesia
A high school student with a somewhat arrogant attitude, he enters the King of Fighters for the chance to fight many great opponents. His skill is rather high as far as fighting ability goes, but Raven tends to be rather hesitant about revealing it's orgins.
Next chapter: Second Round. Shin Sekai Chitsujo vs. ??? Who will they fight in the next round?
Until next time.