For These Scars
~Chapter 28~
Written by: RinoaDestiny
King of Fighters, Kyo Kusanagi, Iori Yagami, Saisyu Kusanagi, and Benimaru Nikaido belong to SNK
It was quite possibly the riskiest action he'd ever taken. He could almost hear Iori's "Don't be a fucking idiot, Kyo" in his head. Yet, it had to be done, since Kyo wasn't getting any answers.
It was midnight and he was outside his room, crouching low next to the raised wooden walkway, eyeing the clan archival building in the distance. Here and there were clan members, positioned at the main entrances and exits throughout their ancient building complex. They weren't guarding anything important; their purpose was to prevent him from sneaking out. Well, that wasn't his intent. He wanted to access his father's study, but going straight there was bound to cause complications and trouble. If the wooden panel in the tunnel could be removed…
Yagami would call him an idiot. He wouldn't be wrong.
But Kyo was sick and tired of being given non-answers and if his father and uncle were escalating the situation towards outright murder of his lover…
Yuki was gone. It still hurt – her leaving – but it wasn't undeserved.
Iori was dying, but hell if he'd sit by while that date was advanced forward.
He didn't know what he could do short of disrupting or fighting his own clan – treachery (no other way to name those actions) – but wasn't he already blacklisted as a traitor anyway? His father saw him differently and Uncle Hajime despised him. With exception of his mother and Aoi, he returned the same contempt to other members of the clan situated here. He didn't have much to lose, but Yagami lost nearly everything. His music, his health, his less than dreary outlook on life, and soon…
Iori had risked everything for this relationship. Had gambled and lost.
Kyo was going to throw in his chips, too. It wouldn't be fair otherwise.
Above, the sky was overcast, full of clouds. Below, the grounds were sodden and muddy; puddles scattered throughout and the courtyard stones reflected light from a few hanging lamps. Kyo studied the placement of the lamps and began moving slow and quiet, careful about leaving footprints or casting his shadow where it could be seen. One of the clan members shifted at his post before a sliding door. Kyo sank lower to the ground and froze.
Didn't move a muscle.
Back when Yagami could still fight – stood equally against him – Kyo had the pleasure (and subsequent displeasure) of seeing how agile the other man was. Iori had been capable of dropping low and having a long reach, making him difficult to hit. Staying in his position, waiting for the clan member to look the other way, Kyo wondered what Yagami would think if he saw him like this.
Idiot, he'd probably say.
Is my form good? He'd ask that – want to know, see if he could improve.
You're still an idiot. Yagami would say that, roughness in his affection.
There were certain things the other man wouldn't say. Kyo had learned to read between the lines – to judge him by his actions – and Iori's decisions amidst his anguish said the unspoken words existing between them. Yagami could've easily demanded he stay with him that day, but he hadn't. Had mentioned Kyo's future instead and gently pushed him away. With how obsessive Iori had been before all this, Kyo wouldn't have been surprised if his love was possessive.
It wasn't, which was astonishing.
A mild breeze blew past, setting the grass in the courtyard whispering and the clan member moved further within the walkway to avoid the wind. It also shifted the focus of his attention. Kyo moved, creeping close to the outer edge of the walkway on his side, scurrying into shadows and avoiding rain puddles. Along with leaving behind muddy footprints, splashing around would make his whereabouts known. He was supposed to be asleep, not sneaking outside in the dark.
It was muggy and with the wind, now chilly.
Raindrops from the rooftops dripped downward. The breeze picked up again, spattering water onto his shirt. Clan members murmured above him, shuffled about, switched places, and continued their watch. As they did this, Kyo advanced nearer and nearer to his destination. The lights weren't on in the archival building but that was okay. He only needed one place lit and he had his phone with him for additional illumination. He didn't want to announce his arrival there, after all.
When he crossed the last stretch of ground between the two buildings, Kyo hoisted himself onto the rain-slicked wooden platform, removed his shoes and padded inside. Bypassing the ironwood bookshelf with its histories, he headed for the back rooms. The corridor was lit like before and the left room also had soft illumination. He didn't waste any time clearing the sole shelf of its contents, stacking the books on the counter and hitting the switch. As the mechanisms worked, Kyo removed his shirt, wrapped his wet shoes in them, and stashed the bundle behind the books.
It was going to be another crawl, but this time, he was determined to find what he sought.
The ancient techniques book had to be in his father's study. The question was where?
He was going to find out. He wasn't going to leave until he discovered it.
With phone in hand, Kyo entered the tunnel. This time, it didn't take long to reach the wooden panel. Activating the flashlight on his phone, he shone the beam at the panel, squinting. There appeared to be locks or something like them on his side; what the other side held, he'd find out later. Reaching up, he touched one. The mechanism was constructed out of wood, its design reminding him of those clever toys that required insight to solve.
Surely, this wouldn't be so complex. If one needed to enter…
Angling the beam of light towards the side of the mechanism, Kyo saw how it worked. There were four of these locks – one for each corner – which could be slid and pushed into the interior crevice specifically designed for them. However, without a light source, he wouldn't have seen the details. He hadn't known these existed his first time in this place. Without waiting, he took care of the first lock. However, on the second, he was stymied.
It had appeared identical, but it wasn't. What had he missed?
Pulling the wooden lock out of the slot, he tried it again. Nothing.
Huh?
Perhaps…it wasn't so straightforward with the remaining ones. Maybe they had a little trick to them. If he slid this one upward or downward and then…
Click.
Ah, so that was it. A different direction for the others – a variation of the original. He did the same for the other two – trial and error, since they also had their quirks – and finally faced a panel without obstruction. Kyo placed his open palm on the surface and pushed.
The panel refused to budge.
Wha –
What was going on now? If he couldn't push it outward, then…
Misconceptions or misdirection. Like the other room with its fancy sealed scrolls. The real secret was in the unassuming room. If this wasn't meant to be pushed, then maybe…
Applying minor pressure, Kyo rolled the panel upward. There was a slight sound – loud in the silence – and then a softer click as the panel locked in place. The room beyond was dark. He turned the flashlight off his phone. With the shoji sliding door and wall facing the innermost hallway, even the dimmest light would show. He'd made it this far – he couldn't fail now.
Staying low to the floor, Kyo crawled out of the tunnel. While waiting for his eyes to adjust, he swept his gaze left and right, up and down along the dimensions of the room. Beside him was his father's table, low in the traditional style and as his vision sharpened, he saw the outlines of the closed inkstone, the paste pot, and the few brushes Saisyu used for calligraphy and other means of correspondence. Outside, wind whistled past the walls and indistinct voices murmured along the innermost corridor.
Kyo remained still, listening. The voices approached – one young, one older – and passed, fading to silence as the seconds ticked by. He waited a minute more before moving.
Caution prevailed. If he was caught here, right now…
His father kept reminding him about traitors. Uncle Hajime told him that story about one of his ancestors. Yagami…Yagami warned him to be careful. To not be a goddamn idiot, because he was worried about him. Being the heir wouldn't protect him from a traitorous charge or the penalty. Iori's own father would've killed him. If Iori's father would've done that, then the same applied for him. Saisyu Kusanagi was his father but he was also the current head patriarch. It was only his right as heir that shielded him from further judgment.
But if he was caught red-handed, digging around in his father's study…
Shivers went down Kyo's spine. He needed to find the book, take what he needed, and get back into his room. He was supposed to be there, asleep. If someone went in and discovered he was gone, the entire estate would be in an uproar. Uncle Hajime, no doubt, would start looking in this direction. Or head for the archival building based on his earlier suspicions.
As for his father…
He didn't have time to waste. Where in this study would his father hide the book?
It needed to be accessible. While his father's kimono sleeves were voluminous, Kyo doubted he hid the book on his person. Made no sense, especially since he didn't need it on a daily basis. Not underneath the matting. Perhaps one of the lacquer boxes in here – the kind used to store letters and documents. But that required opening each box in utter silence and without light to show the contents. Not only would he make a lot of noise, but going about it blindly wouldn't give him anything. He'd probably get caught and then…
He looked at his father's table. It seemed ordinary. Flat heavy wood with simple lines. No ornamentation. His writing supplies arranged in order with brushes on the right, inkstone and paste pot to the left of them and covered sheets of paper at the other end. The glass desk lamp at the front. Nothing was unique or extraordinary on the top.
Kyo pulled his phone out. Ran his thumb over the power button.
Nothing worth noting on top. What about underneath it?
He couldn't use the flashlight here. Instead, craning his neck, he glanced under the table and angled the phone screen towards the underside. Hitting the power button, he watched as the faint light came on, revealing what looked like a thin volume strapped to the bottom of the table. His brow creased. Interesting. He peered over the edge of the table, checked his surroundings, and returned to the object of interest.
The book was bound in place by braided cord. Giving the cord a sharp tug, he undid it and caught the volume before it hit the matted floor. It was a slim book, clothbound with silk and in decent condition. Opening it beneath the table, Kyo shone his phone's screen light onto the pages. There were diagrams of the human body, delicate kanji written in the margins and certain symbols alongside the limbs and drawn organs.
This had to be it. This was what he'd been looking for.
He couldn't read it here. He couldn't take it out with him. But he had his phone.
The book only had fifteen pages. There were five diagrams. He needed those five pages.
He couldn't turn on the desk lamp. If anyone outside walked by, the assumption that Saisyu was awake would cause trouble. Particularly if his father was awake and was elsewhere, which would be bad. It'd mean an intruder in his study – he was – and if someone decided to check…
He wouldn't be able to get out of here fast enough.
Kyo took another risk: he turned his phone's flashlight on and directed it at the first diagram. Took a snapshot of the lit page, trying to get the details as clear as possible. Looked up, scanned the shoji, listened for footsteps and moved onto the second diagram.
His nerves were strung tight. His ears picked up all sounds.
The last thing he needed was his dad and uncle dropping by. That would…
Diagram three. Four. Five.
The last picture taken, he shut off the flashlight, pocketed the phone, and refastened the book to the underside of the table. Crude work, but he couldn't waste time making it neat. He had to get the hell outta here. Just as he turned towards the tunnel exit, the unmistakable sound of male voices came from further down the corridor. Older male voices.
Kyo backed into the tunnel feet first, shuffled inside, and yanked the panel down.
The shoji door slid open. Kyo held his breath.
"Looking for something, brother?"
"Just need to…" His father's voice trailed off. "Hajime, were you here earlier?"
"No. Why'd you ask?"
"Because…it appears someone was here before." From where he lay hidden in the tunnel, Kyo heard his father's footfalls. "If it wasn't you…"
"Your wife?"
"No. Shizuka would've let me know."
A weighted pause. "Saisyu…where's your son?"
His father said something but the panel muffled the words. "...'sleep, Hajime."
"…sure?"
Oh shit. He had to…he had to get back before…
"Hajime, take Takeo with you and check." Silence. "I'll be here. Let me know."
"I'll check the archival building, too. He knows the secret passage, remember?"
His father didn't say anything or if he did, Kyo couldn't hear it. If his uncle was going to the archival building and his father was in the study, he was trapped. Reaching for his phone, Kyo turned it on, went into the text message app, wrote a short sentence and sent the message to one particular recipient with five attachments. He deleted the photos right after, apprehension churning his gut.
Don't be an idiot, Yagami had said. Had relayed to him via Benimaru.
But he needed to know. For Yagami's sake. If anything could help…
Kyo jerked backward, startled as the wooden panel rolled open. Stared at Saisyu – at his father's grim and terrifying expression. From here, the whites of his father's eyes were unnatural.
"So Hajime was right."
The planes of his father's face seemed to lengthen. Grew harsher.
"Get out of there, Kyo. I want answers from you. Now."
Kyo braced himself. He still had to see Yagami on Saturday.
He wasn't losing here.