The King of Street Fighters

A KoF/SF fanfic

Written by Zero-Sennin

Chapter 6: Southtown Shuffle, part 2

Kyo Kusanagi had been through a lot since he'd started entering the KoF tournaments. Fighting a snake god intent on judging and/or destroying humanity? Check. Getting used as a guinea pig in weird experiments to put his powers to use for a DRUG CARTEL? Double check. Dealing with a bunch of weirdoes that wanted to revive the snake god AND an especially weird guy that had stolen two of the three Sacred Treasures? Triple check.

But now, his erstwhile rival, Iori Yagami, who'd hated his guts forever and longer, was ASKING to team up with him, when any other time, they had to be coerced and cajoled repeatedly? True, Yagami hadn't really made a question out of it, but the way he'd phrased it was as close to a question as he could get it.

The entire idea was so insane, so ridiculous couldn't help but break out into loud, almost scornful laughter.

"You? On my team?!" he managed to say after a moment. "Hate to burst your bubble, Yagami, but this time I'm not even leading a team. Even if I was, I'd say no, and odds are that my partners will turn you down fast and hard! What could you do for us anyways? Since Ash Crimson stole that magatama of yours, your flames are dead and gone…"

Despite the utter rudeness Kyo was displaying, Iori was unfazed. "Yeah. I know. I've spent the time since then learning how to fight without them. And I'm just as good as I was before. Hell, when I get the magatama back, I'll be even stronger!"

"Just as good? Hah! I'd be surprised if you could even take a hit from an Orochinagi as you are right now."

Iori's eyebrow went up. "Is that a challenge?"

"It might be."

By now, their conflict had begun to draw a crowd around them; however, the people closest to them were none other than the ones that had seen them storm off, though they were fighting to stay close enough to keep them from killing one another.

"Kyo, what are you doing, picking a fight in a place like this?" Ken yelled. "Stop acting like a kid and chill out!"

"This bum wants to be on our team even though he knows he can't contribute jack squat! You think I'm gonna entertain him for even a minute?"

"It bloody well looks like it, mate," Cammy pointed out dryly.

"This is my business anyways," Kyo growled. "Stay out of it, you Brit smartass. Yagami, come with me. We'll fix your attitude right here and now!"

"I'm not following you anywhere…if anything, you'll be coming to me, since you're the one that got this to escalate."

With that, Iori strode out, cool as a cucumber. Kyo was hot on his heels, spewing trash talk every step of the way, trying to get Iori's calm façade to crack and reveal the hot-tempered psychopath everyone knew and avoided. Most of the crowd followed them, including Ryu and the others, curious to see how the clash would end – or hoping that there wouldn't be any body bags leaving the hotel.

It was now late afternoon in Southtown, and the streets were beginning to fill up with less-than-savory types that did their best (and only) work at night. Despite this, Kyo, still intent on beating the living tar out of his longtime enemy, stared him down as the mob swelling around them began to include pickpockets and muggers.

"Just like old times, huh, Yagami…?"

Iori smirked and flexed his right hand. "Sort of...this time, though, I think we'll have a decisive winner. Me."

That remark more or less did it for Kyo; he dashed at Iori, left fist flaming as it never had before. Seeing his anger, Iori's smirk widened ever so slightly, and he walked forward slowly, hands at his side.

"My guard's not even up, Kyo!" he said. "So if I block this, or you miss, then…you're just as pathetic as I always thought you were!"

With an inhuman roar, Kyo shot his fist forward, intending to catch the smug redhead right between the eyes.

And despite the speed of that punch, all Iori had to do was tilt his head to avoid it, letting it pass by his face without looking unduly alarmed when the flames lightly scorched his skin.

Iori sighed, and closed his eyes. "Ooh. So close."

Then he grabbed Kyo's shoulder with one hand, and used the other to punch him violently in the stomach before shifting his grip from shoulder to throat and choke-slamming Kyo to the ground.

"Hey, idiot…" Kyo wheezed. "You can't use the exploding part of this move without your flames."

"I know…" Iori replied as he drew his free hand back. "That's why I do THIS now!"

With the same ferocity he had just used to pummel Kyo's stomach, Iori wailed on his face, the blows landing like rain driving against the ground, then lifted him up and tossed him aside.

"Are you going to stop this now, Kusanagi?" asked Iori as he put his hands in his pockets before looking down on Kyo. "No, wait, let me guess; you want more, don't you? To prove to yourself and all these other people that you're the best, you're going to keep on getting up until you can bring me down…aren't you?"

Kyo managed a feeble grin as he rose from the ground. "Not to prove that I'm the best. Just to prove that you're not."

"…You'd better be as determined when Crimson comes for you, Kusanagi. Or you'll lose. He beat me when I was 'rioting out'. Easily. He can do the same to you, with much less effort, much like what I'm doing to you right now."

Kyo's flaming fist flew at Iori yet again; this time, the redhead ducked and smashed Kyo in the ribcage with one punch, then smacked him in the jaw with another. Then, as Kyo reeled back, Iori clasped his hands together and smashed Kyo in the back of the head with an overhead attack.

This combination, so brutally delivered, knocked Kyo to the ground yet again. This time, though, the brown-haired brawler couldn't get up. His sides were literally heaving, and while none of the injuries were too serious, they presently kept him from even thinking straight, much less standing.

"If you wanna keep going, then that's fine by me, Kusanagi. I will beat you into the dirt until you or your partners let me on your team."

A disturbance in the crowd caught Iori's attention; someone was pushing their way through. Most likely one of Kusanagi's teammates, he thought. Whatever comes next, I suppose I've been asking for it. I did beat the crap out of the idiot this time - more so than usual, at any rate - which means I may have to face Crimson alone.

True to the redhead's prediction, Ryu stepped out of the gathered mass, a look of pure irritation on his face as he walked towards Kyo's prone body. After bending down and hoisting his ally on his shoulder, Ryu glared at Iori.

"Why did you let him go this far? You seem to know him far too well for this to be an accident…"

"…I was trying to show him what his future will be without me on your team."

"…And what does that mean?"

"Ash Crimson is going to come after Kyo the first chance he gets. If I'm there, I can weaken him by taking back what's rightfully mine. If I'm not, then Crimson will beat the crap out of Kyo and take his powers. Knowing you and your buddy, you'll step in to help Kyo out – and probably get killed in the process."

Ryu's glare softened slightly; the somber tone of Iori's voice wasn't one that could be faked easily, especially for the sake of a lie. "I…see. But…I don't quite understand this whole 'power' thing. Explain it to me, will you?"

"I have no issues with that. But only if…you let me on your team. That's it. Kyo could tell you, of course, when he comes to, but he may be too miserable and stubborn to share."

After a moment of consideration, Ryu nodded, then turned slightly to begin taking Kyo back out to the hotel. "You're in. But…you'd better quit antagonizing Kyo, or we're going to kick you out. Hard."

"I'll do what I can," Iori replied as he followed behind Ryu. "No guarantees that Kyo will be so happy to keep his hands off me, though."

Ryu's brow furrowed as he pushed his way through the crowd. "We'll make sure he does."

When Kyo came to, he was lying on a bed, his shoes and jacket removed. Moaning in agony, he tried to get up, only to have Ken's hand push down gently on his chest.

"Take it easy, hotshot," the blonde told him. "You're pretty damn resilient, we can tell, but even you need to relax a bit for now… Yagami kicked your ass hard."

"…Where are we?"

"Back in our hotel room…Ryu's getting some cold compresses and stuff for the swelling."

The throbbing in his head forced another pained groan from Kyo. "…I'm gonna kill that bastard the next time I see him…how could he beat me without even using his powers…?"

"Because when I can't use all my usual tricks, I have to use ones neither of us would have come up with otherwise."

Dully, almost expectantly, Kyo turned his head slightly, towards the door, knowing full well who he expected to see. Sure enough, Iori, a decidedly neutral look on his face, was leaning against the wall, hands in his pockets.

"You're with us now…aren't you, Yagami?"

The redhead nodded. "Just like old times."

Ken sighed, and said, "Look, me and Ryu, we can tell that you two aren't the best of friends…but this Ash Crimson dude, willing to kill all of us just to get to you...we think that warrants getting all the help we can get. Even if said help beat the crap out of you."

"I understand, I understand. I was just…trying to blow off some steam when I started the whole thing. Besides, it's not like Yagami and I haven't done this whole…teaming up thing before. It's just that…it's annoying."

"And by annoying, he means that he and I just couldn't help but beat the crap out of one another once everything was said and done. It's a part of some fated battle something or other we're supposed to have…"

Ken nodded, but the dubious look in his eyes was undeniable. "…Uh-huh…"

Ryu chose that moment to enter with two boxes of Icy Hot patches and a bag of ice. "This is all I could find…sorry, Kyo, but it'll have to do."

Kyo managed to wave a hand dismissively despite the throbbing in his arm. "It's fine, it's fine. Whatever you brought will probably be good enough to get me in shape for the prelims…"

"Have you checked a calendar recently?" Ryu asked incredulously. "The prelims are tomorrow, Kyo! Tomorrow! You can't fight like this!"

"I know that…but thanks to my Sacred Treasure, I heal up somewhat faster than regular people. So I'll be fine."

Upon hearing the words 'Sacred Treasure', Ryu flinched and stared at Kyo in amazement. "Sacred Treasure…? Wait, you don't mean...you have one of the three Imperial Regalia of…of JAPAN?!"

Kyo grinned. "Yep… None other than the Kusanagi no Tsurugi."

Ryu and Ken's jaws more or less dropped off of their faces after that; it took several moments before Ken managed to croak, "How could you even…get your hands on that…? It's one of the holiest relics of the Japanese people!"

"That's nothing," Iori replied. "Hell, I used to have the Yasakani no Magatama, and that one of our associates held the Yata no Kagami. And all three have of the treasures been passed down in our respective families for generations upon generations…within our bodies."

Ryu paled. "WITHIN YOUR WHAT?!"

"Yagami, cut to the chase before they pass out…" said Kyo.

"Fine, fine. The Sacred Treasures have been held by the Kusanagi, Yata, and Yasakani clans for the longest time, as I just said…ever since they were used to seal away the Yamata no Orochi way back when. Despite a number of changes over the years, the descendants lived fairly normal lives…at least, until Orochi came back again. Me, Kyo, and the Yata woman -"

"Chizuru," Kyo interjected.

"Whatever! Anyways, the three of us teamed up and sealed Orochi back up, Kyo and I fought again, and weird stuff happened in the years afterwards. Some stupid drug peddlers thought they could use Kyo's powers for their own gains, and now we've got an emo fire-user and his opposite number running around…"

At this point, Ryu and Ken had gotten over their shock and were trying to keep up with Iori's story; the perplexed looks on their faces were almost painfully hilarious.

"…and about two years ago, Ash Crimson attacked Chizuru and took the mirror. The next year, he pulled the same trick on me even while I was 'rioting out'… And now, he's planning to do the same to Kyo."

"You haven't explained the whole Riot of the Blood thing, Yagami. What, too ashamed to talk about it?"

Iori snorted and looked away. "It's not important to the story."

"Like hell it isn't! What about those weirdoes, y'know – 'Those from the Past' or whatever? One of their flunkies was the last guy we fought, and you rioted out immediately afterwards! If you get your powers back and by some chance it happens again, they need to know!"

With a sigh, Iori turned to Ryu and Ken, and asked, "Can you bear to hear more of this story or would you rather take a break?"

"Whatever this 'Riot of the Blood' is, I want to hear about it," Ryu replied. "If it endangers any of us here, it's relevant."

"…The Yasakani turned traitor after Orochi got sealed up the first time," Iori said after a long silence. "They made a deal with him…and gained extraordinary power, at the cost of a large part of their life spans, and much more. The Yasakani flames turned purple, the mothers of their children were cursed to die while giving birth, and the clan's name was changed to Yagami. In addition, whenever Orochi, or his servants, exude a large amount of power…I go berserk. Faster, stronger, crazier… the whole nine yards. That's the Riot of the Blood."

"But this…Riot is linked to your powers, isn't it?" Ken asked.

"Yes, it is. So long as I don't have them, I shouldn't be able to lose control if any Orochi power presents itself."

"Well, why would it 'present' itself if Orochi's sealed up?"

Iori sucked his teeth obstinately. "Because the same thing happened last year, at the end of the last King of Fighters tournament – these people calling themselves 'Those from the Past', they triggered it…then Crimson kicked my ass."

"And Kyo's next, huh…" Ryu mused. "Well, whoever this guy is, we can take him down easy."

Ken yawned. "Not unless we get some sleep. Iori, Kyo, you've got your own hotel rooms, don't you? Go, go, we need to be ready for tomorrow. You especially, Kyo."

Kyo sighed and shrugged himself out of bed. "Fine. G'night, Ryu, Ken…Yagami."

Ryu and Ken nodded, while Iori shrugged and left, pulling the door shut behind him. Kyo shuffled over to it and reached for the knob, then paused and looked over his shoulder at his teammates.

"You guys…you'd better be careful if Crimson shows… he's ruthless."

"I've fought a psychotic dictator, wielding the world's most dangerous power, twice - and survived," Ryu replied. "One guy can't do much…"

"That's what Yagami might've been thinking, but look at what happened to HIM."

With that rejoinder, Kyo popped open the door and walked off.

Author's Note (7/31/08): Vacation + writer's block SUCK. Sorry if it seems a bit draggy, I got rusty between writing spurts. Next chapter the brawls start! GET READY! OK!