FINALLY!
Apologies for the long gap between updates. Writing has been hard, and some life things have made an impact as well, so if you've been following... thank you time a million for your patience. Anyway, without further ado, let's check in with Chiz!
Chizuru didn't mind cooking for herself, but watching over her noodles and broth was getting a little boring, as she had been working on it for some time and still had other portions of the meal to finish preparing. She closed her eyes, slackened her hold on the wooden spoon in her hand, and concentrated briefly before stepping back several paces. The utensil was picked up before it could fall by another Chizuru, who began tending to the items on the stove.
Now free to move around as she pleased, the real Chizuru turned so she could begin chopping the green onion she had neatly laid out on the kitchen counter before starting on the soup portion of her spicy tonkatsu ramen. She picked up the knife resting beside the cutting board and started carefully chopping away, all the while listening to the relaxing sound of rain as it pelted the large windows and roof. Right then, the text message alert on her phone sounded from the living room, which prompted her to shut her eyes and concentrate once more before stepping back so a newly spawned mirror clone could continue the task at hand.
The rain seemed to get louder as Chizuru left the open kitchen area and moved into the spacious living room. She retrieved her phone from a side table and quickly unlocked it so she could read the text message, which was from King:
"Hey! Thank you very much for the lovely basket. It came in this morning but I didn't want to wake you up with an earlier message. I appreciate your thoughtfulness."
Chizuru raised her eyebrows as she read the text. She was pretty sure that it was the middle of the night over in Southtown, so why on earth was King awake at such an hour? It wasn't like she was working; Illusion had been closed for months because of the state of things in the US. Either King was so used to her nighttime schedule that she was too wired to sleep, or maybe there was something else keeping her up…? Chizuru was glad to know that the gift she sent arrived in a timely fashion, at least, but she had a feeling that the contents were still neatly wrapped up somewhere. She tilted her head as she quickly composed a response:
"I am very pleased to know that my gift reached you. However, why are you awake at such a late hour? Have you not tried any of the sleep aids?"
The little ellipses icon popped up on the screen very briefly before King's response appeared.
"Not yet. Everything looks so perfect — I couldn't bring myself to unwrap any of it."
Chizuru made a face; King had — very nicely — avoided answering that first question. Nevertheless, she speedily typed a response of her own:
"There's no need to be concerned about how nice it looks. All that matters is that it works for you."
"I'm sure it will," came King's reply.
The ellipses popped up again, indicating that King was typing something else, but, suddenly, it disappeared. She must have changed her mind about what she was going to say. Chizuru watched the little icon reappear and disappear several more times before it finally stayed gone. A little puzzled, she sent another text:
"Please let me know when you try them out. I have not personally used that set, but it's very highly rated."
"I will. Thank you again."
Chizuru wasn't sure if she should say anything else; it seemed as though King was finished talking, which was a little… disappointing. There was so much Chizuru wanted to say — so much she wanted the other woman to know. And, yet, she found herself unable to type another sentence. This entire situation was uncharted territory for Chizuru Kagura; she wasn't used to dealing with anything like… whatever this was in the first place. King had agreed to find some time to talk to her at length, but when would that even be? She had never been much of a talker to begin with, and now, with what may or may not have happened to her…
A dull pain began to set in at the base of Chizuru's skull, which was her body's way of telling her to get rid of the mirror clones before a migraine set in. She made her way back to the kitchen, took a deep breath, and snapped her fingers; just like that, she was once again alone in the ample space. She moved over to the island, where her completed ramen and some bottled water were waiting for her, and eagerly sat down.
Chizuru couldn't help grinning as she picked up her chopsticks. It had been a very long day, so she was thankful for the opportunity to finally wind down. Unfortunately, she found herself unable to completely relax as she ate. While she considered her correspondence with King somewhat of a victory she still needed to try to get her to just… talk to her. Not through stilted texts, but an honest, sincere conversation. She wondered if, perhaps, she should try again right then and there? After all, they were both awake, so what would be the harm? Brow furrowed, Chizuru stood up and walked back to the living room so she could retrieve her phone but stopped the moment she picked up the device. It was rather presumptuous of her to think that King would have it in her to play catch-up in the dead of night even if she did have insomnia. Chizuru frowned and walked back to the kitchen, where she sat down once more and began scrolling through the news while she consumed her dinner.
Again, there was nothing particularly abnormal happening in the world, which brought Chizuru immense relief. The last thing she needed was some new threat to come screaming out of the blue, although, honestly, it was only a matter of time. Either way, she was glad she didn't have to think of such things at the moment because she was wholly preoccupied with the issue of King. The more she thought about it, the more she wished that she could have been there for her. Even though they weren't the closest of friends, maybe she would have been able to help in some way when it first happened. Despite their long-distance, she could have listened to King if she needed to talk, or she could have helped her navigate her emotions with some simple meditation techniques. Something to support her in her time of need. But, even if Chizuru had been there from the beginning, as Mai and Kyo were… would King have even accepted her help? Or would she have closed off and shut her out? And, even then, Chizuru only had a small part of a bigger story that was full of unknowns.
The priestess swallowed a huge bite of noodles as something occurred to her. She wiped the corners of her mouth with a napkin and then hastily navigated to YouTube on her phone. She typed a few keywords into the search bar before selecting the very first video that came up:
ATHENA ASAMIYA VS. KING - L.A. BANC OF CALIFORNIA STADIUM
Chizuru held her breath as she selected the clip. There was chatter from the commentators while the fighters stood across from one another, both getting ready for the bout. Athena looked very nervous — almost like she had never stepped in the ring before, while King appeared hyper-focused and maybe even a bit angry. Gone was her usual self-confident smirk and relaxed posture, which was just as unsettling on YouTube as it had been on live television. The two women exchanged words (which none of the mics picked up) which somehow made Athena look even more worried than she had been moments ago. Whatever King told her must have been quite something.
And then the bell rang.
Despite watching the fight when it first aired, Chizuru was still surprised by King's performance. She kept her eyes on the Nak Muay as she telegraphed her strikes and took a lot of punishment as a result. It was clear that she was being motivated by… something unusual. Then, the moment of truth: King, who was losing the fight, abruptly vaulted into an aerial backflip and used her momentum to push off the ground when she landed so she could dash toward Athena. At the same time, Athena used a Teleport to move out of the way and get behind King, which was when things got weird — and very violent:
There was Athena, now on the other side of the area, standing completely still. Chizuru hit pause on the video when the camera angle changed so she could look at the J-pop star very carefully; her features were contorted in utter shock — almost like she had witnessed a gruesome murder. Chizuru squinted at the girl's face as she wondered what on earth could have stopped her like that. She unpaused and watched the brutal conclusion of the match, where King sunk the girl with a hard liver shot from behind before laying into her with a Silent Flash and ending with a Venom Shot — a maneuver she seldom used because of how tired it typically made her feel afterward.
Then, Athena was down — and definitely not getting back up. Meanwhile, King stood, swaying very slightly with an unreadable expression on her face before being swarmed by her teammates and the ringside announcer. She blinked a few times, evidently startled, and hastily put on a big smile, though its sincerity was debatable.
Chizuru honestly didn't know what she was expecting to find by rewatching the match. If anything, it only served to make her feel more troubled than it had the first time she saw it because that was not the same woman she teamed up with so long ago. Even though it was true that King had something of a mildly sadistic streak left over from her days on the wrong side of the law, the level to which she went against Athena was overkill.
But why? Why had she done that?
Frowning, Chizuru briefly turned to her meal, took a bite of pork, and then went back to the video. She didn't know why but she found herself rewinding the clip slightly to take another look at the action. She hit play once again and observed, unsure of what she was even searching for. There was King, flipping backward before running at Athena… and Athena launching into her Teleport… and then phasing straight through King, leaving a trail of afterimages behind her. It was so fast and so brief; the average spectator probably wouldn't have caught it.
So that was it.
Chizuru was aware that, under certain circumstances, Athena could see directly into people's minds: It happened with Iori once and, if the girl's face was any indication, it happened with King during the Teleport. However, it still didn't answer any of Chizuru's existing questions; instead, it only gave her more. What did Athena see that left her so horrified that she couldn't even move? Was King even aware that it happened? What — if anything — did it have to do with Mai and Kyo? There was really only one honest way to find out. However, she was still hungry and still needed to clean up after herself, so it would have to wait — for just a little while, anyway.
Once Chizuru finished her mundane activities she made her way back to the living room, phone in hand, and scrolled through her contacts. Luckily, she didn't have to search too long before finding what she needed. She selected the appropriate person and hit the buttons required to dial the number before setting the audio to speaker. She then lowered herself onto the sofa and crossed her legs at the knees as she waited for an answer.
"Teeny's phone," a male voice greeted. "Can I help you?"
"Why hello, Mr. Kensou," Chizuru said amicably. "It's been a while."
There was a brief pause in which she could swear she heard Sie Kensou's eyes widen.
"K-Kuh-Kagura-san," the young man said quickly. "Uhh, how are you?! Is everything okay?! Because Teeny and I haven't felt any otherworldly, evil presences lately, so…"
"Rest assured, everything is fine," Chizuru assured him placidly. "I was calling because I wanted to see how Athena has been doing in the wake of her COVID infection. Is she available?"
"Sorry, but she's napping right now."
"Napping? But it's dinnertime."
"Well, yeah, but her schedule's been all out of wack since she got sick, so even though she's been better for a while she still gets tired at really weird times."
"I see."
Chizuru frowned. Her plan to speak with Athena about her abilities and what happened with King was obviously going to have to wait.
"Can I take a message or something?" Kensou asked.
"Oh. Sure. If you could kindly let Athena know that I hope she is doing well and that I would like to discuss some… specific matters with her — sooner rather than later — I would greatly appreciate it."
"'Specific matters?'"
"Yes."
"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"
"I don't know, Mr. Kensou, but please rest assured that it's nothing bad."
"That doesn't mean it's good, though…"
"I suppose you have a point," Chizuru responded with a chuckle. "However, everything really is fine."
"So… you're not calling to discuss evil forces, or the Seal, or anything like that?" Kensou asked, his voice laced with doubt.
"No."
"If that's the case… then... what is it? Because, I mean… someone like you… calling Teeny up out of nowhere…? That sounds like it must be pretty important… Right?"
Chizuru raised her eyebrows. Normally, she would have deflected Kensou's line of questioning and excused herself from the conversation, but there was a little voice in her head that was telling her that, perhaps, in this scenario, he could be just as helpful as "Teeny."
"Well, Mr. Kensou," she started slowly. "I wished to discuss Athena's last match against King. The one back in Los Angeles."
Without warning, Kensou burst into what must have been a plethora of Cantonese expletives based on how heated he had become. Chizuru made a face as he went on for an almost uncomfortable amount of time, his voice becoming more and more elevated with each string of words. Finally, he blew out a loud breath, which allowed the priestess to finally say the only thing that came to her mind:
"I'm sorry… what?"
"Oh, uhh… right… Sorry about that," came a sheepish reply. Kensou's tone immediately shifted as he continued. "Teeny and I talked and everything, but I'm still kinda pissed about what King did, you know? We kept it from the media, but she hurt Teeny bad, and it wasn't cool!"
"...How bad?" Chizuru prodded.
"For starters, her back was broken! Not bruised, or thrown out, but broken," Kensou retorted, clearly becoming agitated once more. "Cracks and breaks from L3 all the way up to T6! Oh, and her arm and leg broke when she landed from that… whatever she was hit with! She had to be in traction and everything! Can you imagine what would have happened if she couldn't heal herself?!"
Chizuru shook her head, a little horrified by what she had just heard. She knew Athena's injuries after the bout had been severe, but she didn't know they had been that severe — or that King was even capable of doing that amount of damage to someone in the first place. (Then again, she was formerly an enforcer for a mob boss; her entire job during that time was centered around hurting people…) Nevertheless, Chizuru cleared her throat and squared her shoulders, quite literally getting ready to take one for the team.
"In that case… On behalf of the Women Fighters, I would like to offer a sincere apology for King's actions," she said solemnly. "Although I seriously doubt she meant to do that level of harm intentio—"
"That's a joke, right?!" Kensou interrupted. "That psychopath went all-in on Teeny for no reason! I know they hashed it all out, but Teeny is way too forgiving! The things that happened to that unhinged basket-case before the fight didn't give her the right to do what she did!"
The things that happened…?
Even though her intrigue level was through the roof, Chizuru couldn't help feeling bothered not just by the extent of Athena's injuries or Kensou's resentment, but by the way he was speaking of King. While his ill feelings toward her were understandable (she had put his lady love in the hospital, after all…), the melodrama associated with them was not. Chizuru wasn't going to put up with it.
"Sie Kensou," she spoke up firmly. "I will not tolerate you using derogatory terms when speaking of my associate. If you wish to continue this conversation, you will be respectful. Is that clear?"
There must have been something in her voice that made Kensou shrink, as he fell dead silent.
"Uhhh… crystal," he mumbled nervously.
"Lovely. Now, where were we?"
"Oh, yeah — I was saying that what King did really messed Teeny up. When she looked into that… that — uhh, I mean —" Kensou cleared his throat — "what she saw in... King's mind did a number on her! It put her back in a bad spot for a few days."
"'Back in a bad spot'?"
"Ah, it's nothing. Forget about it. Anyway, yeah. Teeny was waking up at all hours, and sometimes she couldn't even breathe right. As if the physical beating hadn't been enough already, you know?! She didn't need to see any of the crap that was bouncing around in King's head!"
Chizuru did a doubletake. As much as she would have liked to know what the comment about Athena was about, Kensou had just confirmed what she suspected going into the call: the younger woman's power had gone awry much the same way it had with Iori…! Eyes wide, she placed her phone on the coffee table, then fixed her gaze directly at the call timer ticking away on the small glass screen.
"Kensou," she asked, momentarily dropping her usual formality. "Kensou, what did Athena see?"
"Oh, geez. I dunno exactly," he told her deliberately, "but it was some pretty intense stuff. I mean… you and the others already know about the rape of course, but you guys didn't have to see any of it. Teeny, on the other hand, got treated to a front-row seat. She saw that and a bunch of other things that seemed kindasorta random. Anyway, neither of us knows why it even happened, though. She has theories, but..."
"Theories," Chizuru said numbly, the word "rape" echoing in her mind.
"Yeah — they whys and hows? Teeny said she thought it was because King was in a ton of pain when they fought. She thinks that's why it happens — that if someone is in enough pain or anguish, their emotions just kinda pull her in, I guess."
"I see…"
Chizuru trailed off as she tried to begin processing what Kensou told her. She sat very still and pinched the bridge of her nose while a feeling of heaviness settled in her gut. She was, of course, very interested in Athena's new ability and any practical uses it could have down the line if and when the girl learned to control it, but she was also in too much shock to focus on anything else that Kensou might have been saying to her.
"She also said something about how King felt that she needed to win otherwise — Kagura-san?"
Hearing her name brought Chizuru's attention back to the conversation at hand. She blinked rapidly before shaking her head and clearing her throat.
"Huh? Oh," she hastily replied. "Apologies. I was just… a little lost in thought for a moment."
"Is everything okay?" Kensou inquired. "You sound kinda off."
"Yes. Everything is fine, but I really must be going now," Chizuru answered with as much poise as she could muster. "If you could please let Athena know that I called...?"
"Sure thing…"
Something in Kensou's demeanor told Chizuru that she needed to end the call ASAP before his psychic abilities could start to pick up on her feelings. She cordially bid him farewell, hung up, and leaned back against the sofa cushions. She placed her hands over her face and sat, unmoving, while the rain started coming down even harder.
Chizuru took deep, meditative breaths to get herself into a more zen state of mind, but what she had just heard was so awful that it was making it too hard to focus. She was glad she decided against using the mirror to figure out the nature of King's apparent personality shift, as she wouldn't have been able to handle seeing the truth behind the matter.
The truth that Mai, and Kyo, and Athena, and Kensou were all hiding on King's behalf. All of them knew her terrible secret — and, now, Chizuru knew it as well. She found herself wishing that she would have just reached out to King as soon as she sensed that something was amiss, but she did nothing but put it off again and again despite her better judgment. Even worse was that this information had fallen into her lap without King's knowledge or consent.
And though she had picked Kyo's brain for any clues as to why he and Mai had been so strange all that time ago, there was a vast difference between asking a few pointed questions with the intent to gain a better understanding of what might have been going on, and being told someone's secret point-blank, without even having to say much of anything.
Chizuru uncovered her face and brought herself to her feet. She approached the window, wrapped her arms around herself, and stared out at the lit-up city streets while thinking about her next course of action. Oddly enough, she could not think of a single thing she could do that would be helpful in this situation.
She shut her eyes before letting out a loud sigh. She suddenly wished she had just left well-enough alone.
Alright, you guys. Let's take a look at some stuff, yeah?
* As previously mentioned, the fight between Athena and King takes place in Hurt.
* The audio that wasn't picked up on was a short chat where Athena asks King to "give her a break," to which King replies, "If I have to."
* The event with Athena and Iori occurs in the third chapter of the KOF: Kyo manga
* Kensou and Athena are a couple in this continuity. Obviously, Teeny is Kensou's nickname for her.
* Athena caught COVID; she was able to hang in there because of her healing factor.
* L3 to T6 = vertebrae. Lumbar 3 is the lower back; Thoracic 6 is mid to upper. I watched the angle of King's EX Silent Flash to determine where the cracks and breaks would be. You know, like a huge nerd. ACCURACY!
* Athena being back in a bad spot refers to her own feelings in regards to an attempted rape she experienced at the hands of the Yakuza in one of RexMadison's fics, Power.
* Athena saw several flashes/memories when she unintentionally peered into King's psyche, including her aunt and uncle berating her, Mr. Big slapping her (Oxygen to Breathe chapter 13, King Rat), King in the ER with Mai by her side, the actual attack in MLS, and another memory that she promised herself she would keep from everyone — including Kensou: King and Vanessa kissing (Red, chapter 2).
Okay. I think that covers that. As you can see, a lot of connections to Much Like Suffocating and Hurt over here.
Anyway, again, sorry for the crazy long wait! I hope it was at least somewhat worth it! Let me know in that sad, empty box below! There's more story to tell, so... until next time~