Whoa, Riot of Blood AND Ikari murder?

There must be some kind of plot stirring in the Plot Pot. :O

Yeah, Iori gets fucked up and some nobody from Ikari gets messed up pretty bad.

I liked writing about the murder. It was fun. Muahaha.

I really want to get this tournament started.

I think in the next to chapters, we'll see some real KOF.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ch. 21

Kasumi woke to an unusual stir in the house. She heard yelling from the upstairs. Then she heard glass shatter. She rolled over onto the couch, seeing that Iori wasn't resting behind her. She jumped from the couch and ran up the stairs to see large pieces of white painted wood scattered across the floor. Kasumi realized it was the door the bathroom. The closer she made her way to the bathroom, the yelling and commotion became louder.

"Don't let go of him! Rah!" she heard Terry's voice yelling. Nearly to the entrance of the bathroom, Joe flew out from the room.

"Ouch, damnit!" he screamed, rubbing the back of his head. Joe then saw Kasumi, standing there worried. "You damn boy toy is going ape shit in there!" he yelled at her, pointing into the tiny room.

Kasumi finally peered into the room to see Iori clawing at Mai and Terry, while Andy and Kyo tried holding down his feet.

"K-Kasumi!" Kyo yelled to her. "His in a blood rage!" From Kyo's lack of attention, Iori slid his foot out from under him and lashed it against Andy's cheek.

"Pay attention damnnit---shit!" Andy was cut off by Mai's body being thrown against him.

"I'm sorry, Andy," Mai said, then blacking out. Terry released his grip knowing it'd be useless to keep holding on.

"Everyone, out!" Terry bellowed, pushing Andy who was holding onto Mai as well, out the door.

"Ssaahh…kkii-ahh," the gibberish escaping from Iori's mouth, that was producing a feverish steam from his lips.

As the trampling, and somewhat, hung-over crowd dashed away and down the stairs, Iori came following. Kasumi dashed into Rock's room, where she then saw Athena, Yuki, Yuri, and Rock huddled all together.

"W-what happened?" Kasumi cried out. Yuki was shaking and Athena was hovering over her, trying to comfort her. Yuri Remained on guard but welcomed Kasumi inside. Rock lay in bed, shaking for personal reasons.

"W-we woke up to screaming in the bathroom. I guess Iori went up there and then we heard something break. I thought he was still drunk, but he had blood---all over his hands," Athena answered, trying to sooth Yuki's nerves.

"Everyone was sleeping up here, so Kyo followed Athena in, just for safe measures, ya know?" Yuri added. "I stayed in here with Rock, he's a bit…down…" she said, looking over to the bed.

"Okay, okay, but what about Iori?" Kasumi asked loudly.

Athena answered, "Kyo yelled for Terry. Their whole team showed up to try and restrain him. Mary guided everyone outside---"

"Which is where their leading Iori!" Kasumi interrupted. She then dashed out of the room and ran down the stairs, Yuri following closely behind. Athena closed the door and kept watch.

Heading out the door, Kasumi could see Iori being held at gunpoint by Mary. No one was trying to stop her or Iori from attacking. Kasumi covered her mouth and ran towards the scene. Yuri tried reaching out to grab her, but Kasumi was faster.

"Stop! Mary, what are you doing?" Kasumi screamed as she got closer to the crowd.

Iori, slowing turning his head, began to jolt his body around is violent twists and turns. He could see it was Kasumi, he consciously knew she was there, but his body didn't see otherwise.

"K-kill…e-everyone…" he said in a low, sinister voice.

Kasumi came closer to Iori, when Mary screamed out to her, "Stay back!" Kasumi ignored her and stepped closer. Mary was becoming upset with Kasumi's ignorance. Again, she yelled, "I said 'Stay back!' I'll have to shoot him if he touches you!"

She still ignored Mary when she outstretched her arm. "Iori, it's me. Come back to us…" Kasumi begged to him.

Iori threw his body hard into the grass, clawing at his head. He grabbed his crimson hair and pulled at it, from what it almost seemed like he was trying to pull out the demon that was controlling his body.

"K-kusa…n-nagi…" he bellowed, with more fresh steam pouring out of his mouth. He stood back up, but in ape like stance, breathing in slowing, then exhaling the vapor.

Kasumi waited patiently. She looked over to Mary, who had ceased to put her gun down. Many of the fighters stood on their guards, waiting to strike if needed. She looked behind to see Yuri in a fighting stance, ready to strike as well. Kasumi, turning back to face Iori once more, walked up to him and put her hand on his bicep.

Immediately, he collapsed to the ground, to kneel, then coughed savagely. Specs of blood spewed from his mouth and trickled down the corner of his mouth. Iori had finally come back to his senses. He made enough effort to look to at Mary, who still steadily held her gun at his face. The weight and exhaustion of the blood riot finally caught up to him, and his entire body fell to the ground.

Kasumi rushed to kneel down to him and check for breathing. She could feel the weak rising and lowering of his torso. Relieved, she sat back and let the Fatal Fury team and Kyo bring the large figure back into the house.

Kasumi still sat, as the world moved before her. She felt her stomach twist and extreme nausea took over her tiny body. Yuri, who stayed behind, watched as her fellow classmate held her stomach in pain. Realizing that Kasumi was probably feeling the consequences of the evenings, she rushed over to keep Kasumi from dirtying herself. A few moments after Yuri's arrival, she became awfully sick in the front lawn. Yuri held her head up by her ears then helped her back inside.

Back in the house, the fighters placed the unconscious Iori on his side on top of the couch where he fell asleep. Joe, Andy and Mai went up stairs to clean the mess and to check on the younger group who was still hiding out in Rock's room. Terry and Kyo stood watching over the lifeless body, in anxiousness of Iori's wakening.

"…So, this 'Riot of Blood' thing only happens to Iori or something? I thought you guys were in the same boat?" Terry said to Kyo.

Kyo shook his head, "It's a long story but, he's got the short end of the stick. I wouldn't be in his shoes for a second if you paid me." Terry nodded his head and agreed.

The rest of the day was spent in recovery. Iori finally woke from a blistering headache with didn't cease due to Mary's constant interrogating. Kasumi's stomach settled in less than an hour, as well as Rock Howard's. Yuki and Kyo, who had been fine the whole day, left for home when the house was completely cleaned up. Ryo had come by that afternoon with the Sakazaki family friend and Art of Fighting teammate, Robert Garcia, who had come in from Italy only a few days earlier.

Once Iori felt well enough, he and Kasumi left on the motorcycle and headed back home to the Todoh household. Both of them were completely exhausted, only getting a few hours of sleep on the stiff sofa, plus the awful morning they had to go through. Lucky for both of them, Mr. Todoh didn't ask what happened, just if they enjoyed themselves.

That night, Kasumi and Iori hung out in his room in their pajamas talking about the party earlier. They sprawled out on the tatami mats, Kasumi on her belly, half flipping through another one of her fashion magazines, while Iori laying on his side, propping his head up with the palm of his hand.

"…Rock was so ridiculous. I honestly don't believe Terry was egging him on, like he claimed. He seriously tripped and fell on me and was all like, 'Oh, Kasumi, your pretty, baw' and stuff," Kasumi said, flipping through a page featuring only shoes.

Iori was peeved. "He what? Why didn't you say anything?" he asked her. His eyes seemed hostile.

Kasumi shrugged off his irritation. "I knew you would try to start something. He's still my friend, you know. It's not like I'd try anything," she said to him, using her confidence as a way to calm Iori, but he still had a look of unsatisfaction on his face.

"You know," she started again, closing her magazine and staring him straight in the eye. "You've been awfully suspicious of me lately. You seem so worried about who I'm with and what I'm doing. Don't you trust me?" The question stung like a thousand tiny needles into Iori torso.

"Forget it, Kasumi," Iori said, trying to reverse techniques. He wanted to drop the subject before it got out of hands.

"Well, then stop whatever your thinking, because it's not true!" she said loudly to him. He rolled his eye.

"Whatever, Todoh," he retorted. He rolled onto his back, folding his hands on his chest. Kasumi flipped open her magazine again and continued to half read the articles in front of her.

The rest of the night was spent in an awkward silence until Iori asked Kasumi to leave so he could sleep. Neither of them, however, slept well. There was too much on each other's minds.

*

Deep into downtown Southtown, Mr. Big sat in his office watching late night sports on the small, aging television he had resting on a self near his desk. Another one of his lady friends sat off to the side, twirling a blond curl and counting the ceiling tiles.

"Hey, babe, when we gunna head home, I'm ty-uhd," she said in a sleazy tone. Mr. Big ignored her and continued to watch the game.

Then, only a moment later, three loud pounds on his door was heard.

"Ya, wuddya want," Mr. Big yelled, still staring at his small TV.

"Yo, Biggie, some asshole was goin' through yo shit. I told him to leave, man, but he wouldn't. Smalls and Gator came out, and we bot' took 'em down. He's in da main room, boss," a tall dark man said, after bursting in his office.

Mr. Big rubbed his chin then looked to his henchman. "Alright, lemme see what the cat dragged in," he answered back. His blond mistress followed.

In the main room, a large and muscular man was tied from his hands and feet. His face was poor condition with welts and blood dripping down his temples and nostrils. Mr. Big looked to see that the man was wearing a deep navy mercenaries' garb with five ribbons on the arm. The nameless figures looked to Mr. Big then spat out some blood.

"You clear him up, boys?" Mr. Big asked.

The small but brute henchman spoke, "Yeah boss. He had some communicator shit on him. We smashed that up. Then was took his pistols to the back. That's it."

Mr. Big's face then gave a displeased expression. "You rotten sons of a bitches come in my place and try to fuck my shit up. You Ikari fucks don't know when to quit. You're all just a bunch of self-righteous numb skulls. I own this fucking shit hole they call Southtown and I got more so-called fighters then you fucks ever will have," he preached to the weakened solider. Mr. Big then whipped his foot out and slammed it into the solider's ribs with a small crack that followed. The solider yelped in pain and fell to the ground.

"What the fuck is your name, you lousy son of a bitch?" Mr. Big asked his viciously. The solder remained quiet, which didn't sit well with the boss. "I asked you, you muthafucker, what is your rotten lousy son of a bitch name?"

The solider coughed then spoke with his weak voice, "You'll…h-have to k-ill…m-me first…B-big…" was his response.

Mr. Big then, squatted down to the solider's face and said to him, "I was planning on it, but here this first, scumbag. Every goddamn fighter you bring to me, I'll fucking destroy, you hear me? You mercenaries and your goddamn street fighters will so fucked. Then you asswipes will be fucking extinct and I will be the best fighter in the whole muthafuckin' world. You hear that? You lousy piece of shit," Mr. Big lectured to the wounded man. "Take him out, boys." Mr. Big headed back to the office, formally taking the arm of his blond lady and slammed the heavy office door shut behind him.

The three henchmen hunched forward and each of them let out their distinct malicious chuckle.

Then, the henchman known as Small, picked up his rifle and said, "Say your prayers, bitch." The sound of pistol shot rang through the building and echoed out in to the street lit night.

Mr. Big, appeared again only half stepping out his door and yelled at his boys. "The goddamn silencers! You fucking morons!" he screamed then shutting the door again. The henchmen huffed then dragged the body out. The nameless solider would not be heard or seen again.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Characters (c) SNK