Iori and Kiki walked side by side on their way to the supermarket as Kiki recounted the events from earlier that morning. "So, I guess I have a rival now?" she concluded her story with a shrug.
"Good," said Iori with no change in expression. "Now you have another thing to work towards."
"I'm not gonna kill him!" Kiki cried.
"That's not what I'm saying," Iori punched his fist into his palm. "Just show him who's boss."
Kiki shook her head, "No! I don't wanna hurt him!"
"Then what the hell am I training you for?!"
"I'm sorry!"
Iori pinched the bridge of his nose and grumbled, "This is exactly what I meant when I said you're holding back. Speaking of which," He pointed at the girl and continued, "stop doing that. Every training session for the past week, I had to tell you to hit me harder. You have to do that without me saying so."
"But what if I break something?"
"I've already told you, you're not at that level yet."
"And when I am?"
"Then, good for you!"
As the two of them conversed, a voice called out in the distance, "That's her!" Iori and Kiki looked over in the direction of the voice. Further up the road, they saw Shingo with a young man in a black school uniform heading in their direction. Shingo and his companion came to a halt and locked eyes with Iori and Kiki.
"Cruz!" Shingo shouted and pointed.
"Shingo?" Kiki questioned and cocked her head.
"Kyo!" Iori howled and ignited a purple flame in his hand.
"Yagami!" the young man yelled and ignited an orange flame in his.
"Kyo?!" Kiki cried and whipped her head back at the pair in front of them.
Iori and Kyo charged at each other. Purple and orange embers flew in the air as the two of them exchanged blows. They yelled and grunted with each strike and dodge.
Kiki whipped her head around, noticing bystanders on the street starting to crowd around them. She brought her attention back to Kyo and Iori and cried,
"Now?! Here?!"
As the fight continued, Kyo glanced at his surroundings as he dodged each of Iori's kicks and punches. The crowd looked on at the scene with a mix of excitement and concern. Some people hollered and whooped while others pulled out their phones, ready to call the police, no doubt. Iori sent a punch straight to Kyo's face, but Kyo caught it in his hand just before impact. "Let's settle this somewhere else, Yagami."
"Killjoy," Iori brought his fist down and mused through gritted teeth. "The usual place?"
Kyo smirked and gave him a slight nod. He sprinted in the opposite direction he came and beckoned Shingo to follow him, "Come on!"
With no hesitation, Shingo started running after him, "Wait up, Mr. Kusanagi!"
Iori looked over to Kiki and flashed her a devilish grin, "Change of plans."
Kiki held her head in confusion as she tried to process what just happened, "Okay?"
The pair ran through the bustling streets. Iori kept his sights on Kyo, charging straight ahead, not stopping even when he bumped into passersby. Kiki scampered after him, directing "Sorry"s and "Excuse me"s at the complaining street-goers.
The two pairs arrived at the local train station and waited for the next train to arrive on the platform. Kyo and Iori glared at each other at a distance. Shingo tried to do the same with his rival, but Kiki's perplexed expression didn't help at all. Once the train rolled in, the pairs piled into separate cars. Iori and Kiki were squished into the car with the other passengers. Kiki clung onto Iori's jacket and her face was pressed up against his exposed chest.
"Mmph mm mph mph mm-mmph mmph mm mmph?" Kiki asked, face still in between Iori's pecs.
"I didn't understand a word you just said," grumbled Iori.
Kiki tilted her head up and repeated her question, "How long do we gotta ride this train?"
"Just a couple stops," he replied. "Stay close. Don't get separated."
"'Kay-" Kiki cocked an eyebrow, "You okay? Your face is kinda red-"
"I'm fine."
About fifteen minutes later, the next stop's name was announced over the train's P.A. system. Iori nudged Kiki, signalling to her to get ready to depart. She clung tighter onto Iori's sleeve, anticipating to break into a sprint as soon as the car's doors opened. The train came to a halt, and Iori pushed his way out with Kiki still clinging onto him. They both turned their heads towards the other train car and exchanged glances with Kyo and Shingo who both just got off as well. Kyo and Iori dashed off side by side towards the station exit with their two disciples right behind them.
Kiki sighed, exasperated, "This is turning out to be quite a day."
"You bet!" Shingo grinned at her. "I get my own rival, and now I get to see Mr. Kusanagi fight for real? Against Mr. Yagami too? This is the best!"
"I just wanted to pick up groceries," Kiki whined under her breath.
A few minutes of running later, the four fighters arrived in an alleyway between a liquor store and a hotel. Kiki steadied herself against a wall to catch her breath while Shingo observed Kyo and Iori staring each other down.
"Get him good, Mr. Kusanagi!" Shingo cheered.
"D-Do your best, Mr. Yagami…!" Kiki called out breathily.
Flames danced in the two fighters' hands. A heavy, tense atmosphere grew around them. They positioned themselves into their respective stances, still glaring at each other with unwavering stares. With no words spoken between them, they rushed forward and began their brawl.
Kyo crouched low and kicked a leg out. Anticipating this, Iori hopped forward and clawed his hand down towards Kyo's face. His nails scraped across Kyo's cheek, causing him to recoil from the attack. Iori continued with his assault with an uppercut with his left hand, then his right, and finished off with slamming both his fists down onto the back of his opponent's head. Kyo swore under his breath as he struggled to recover. He rolled back, quickly avoiding a downward swipe from Iori's leg. Rising to his feet, Kyo stepped forward and punched with his right fist, knocking Iori back. He followed up with a burst of flame, and finished off with another fire blast. "Your body's helpless!" he yelled. Iori flew back from the flurry of blows and fell to the pavement with a thud.
"Nice one!" Shingo raised a fist and cheered.
Iori grunted as he pushed himself back up to his feet. "You can do it, Mr. Yagami!" encouraged Kiki.
Kyo attempted to close the distance between himself and Iori, but Iori threw a purple fireball down to the ground. "How's this?!" Iori shouted. The fireball snaked across the ground and hit Kyo's feet. With a cry, he was knocked back. Kyo brought his arms up in front of his face, anticipating another attack. Iori quickly stepped behind him, clawed into his back, and growled, "Out of my way!" Kyo stumbled forward from the attack with a pained grunt.
Kiki's eyes lit up as Iori made his comeback, "Keep going, Mr. Yagami!" As Kyo tried to regain his bearings, Iori sprinted towards him, grabbed his face, and slammed his head into the ground with a roar.
"Die!" he shouted as a purple flame erupted from Iori's hand. Shingo and Kiki simultaneously gasped and looked down at Kyo, concerned for his safety. Fortunately, Kyo immediately rolled away, putting out any remains of Iori's flames that were still burning on his clothes. Kyo dashed towards Iori once more, and Iori attempted to slash at him before he could get too close. However, Kyo ducked down and kicked at his shins with one foot then the other. Iori fell to the pavement from his legs giving in and attempted to get back up. As Iori pushed himself up, Kyo raised a hand above his head. A bright orange flame engulfed his hand as he yelled.
Shingo's eyes widened, "That's…!"
As soon as Iori rose to his feet, Kyo charged at him, bringing his inflamed hand down and sent a large fire blast forward. "Chew on this!" The flames hit Iori straight on and knocked him back. He slid across the pavement, groaning in pain.
"Mr. Yagami!" Kiki ran to the man's side and kneeled down next to him, checking for any serious injuries.
"Don't worry. He'll live." She heard Kyo say. She turned around and saw him and Shingo approaching her. "So," He beckoned her to stand. "let's talk."
A/N: So, this definitely isn't a one-to-one rewrite of Kyo Vs. Kiki: Round One like I originally planned it to be, but I like the new direction that Kyo's introduction went. It definitely feels more natural for Iori and Kyo to face off before Kiki and Kyo can officially face off against each other.