For These Scars
~Chapter 14~
Written by: RinoaDestiny
King of Fighters, Kyo Kusanagi, Iori Yagami, Saisyu Kusanagi, and Benimaru Nikaido belong to SNK
He usually didn't like to read. He found studying boring, which was why his parents despaired of him ever graduating high school and besides poetry, Kyo found words in a book bland. But now because of Iori's predicament, he was inside the ancient family archives, buried elbow deep in old manuscripts. Not all of them he understood – the characters were mostly kanji and some obscure – but the ones he could figure out, he went through line by line.
His father had done something drastic to Iori and until he knew what it was, he wasn't going to rest easy. The other man was no longer healthy – was weak to the point of being unable to fight – and that meant it went beyond a simple confrontation. Of course, it also brought to mind another chilling fact, which Kyo wasn't able to hide from.
If his father hurt Iori and threatened him, then he knew where he lived.
The question was how? He understood Benimaru using his family connections to uncover information, to network and search but Saisyu Kusanagi? How did his dad come across Iori's address? It wasn't as if his former rival made that obvious, especially to those he didn't care to know or trust. Yagami preferred keeping to himself, so how did his father stumble across or deliberately seek out the other man's whereabouts?
And after finding him, why did he terrify Iori to the point where he was at now?
Kyo flipped the page, following the fluid lines of calligraphic characters down with his finger. Calligraphic script made everything harder to read and after a minute, Kyo considered the current bound volume a lost cause. Closing the book, he placed it back onto the dark ironwood bookshelf and glanced around. Their clan kept the archival room neat and clean without the smell of mold, rot, or dust and with its high ceiling and well-situated windows, the place was bright and airy. Ideal for studying or just going through the family's history.
It wasn't history he was looking for, though.
He was searching for techniques. For techniques from the founding of the clan.
Whatever his father did to Iori, it wasn't just a simple beatdown. Iori Yagami had lost enough weight to throw off Benimaru and that would've taken time. That meant a technique of some sort – something to sicken or debilitate him. It also wasn't something he knew or had ever been taught, which meant either it was advanced or…
Or being taught the technique carried its own responsibility. Its own weight.
Kyo tightened his jaw, grimness settling over him. It was possible that only heirs coming into their own after the death of the previous one learned the technique. Or the technique was only taught during times of great need. During a war, for instance. Or for a deadly confrontation with rivals, with one's enemies.
He used to be Iori's rival. That meant his father's rival was Yagami's old man.
Could it be possible that…
He got off the polished wooden floor and looked towards the direction of the entranceway. There were no guards here or hovering clansmen – why would there be? – which meant he was free to search around. All the manuscripts here were about the clan's long history, complete with a lengthy list of the founder, his family, and their families all leading up to the present. It made for boring reading and while he was occasionally interested in 'so-and-so great-great-grandfather being a badass warrior', it wasn't the reason why he came here.
So if the histories were here, then…
He didn't know the place well, having considered ancient text a waste of time but as he looked around, he noticed a small door off to the side. It was close in color and tone to the walls – constructed to be subtly present – and that was intriguing. Why was this even here?
Curious, Kyo strode towards it. Laid his hand on the door.
Felt it give a bit under pressure, as if something had unlatched. Moving his hand to the left, he slid the door open, revealing a narrow hallway leading straight in. There was light inside and as he stepped forward, he noticed a door to his left and one to his right. Squaring his shoulders, he closed the sliding door behind him and turned towards the leftmost door.
Opened that one and found himself in a small room, which was neatly packed with rolled scrolls and old manuscripts bound with cloth and sewn together with red thread. The shelves were full and the scrolls were tied with silk cord, four in each diamond-shaped space that the wooden structures created for them made. Kyo did a quick count. Twenty-four scrolls in this room. He glanced at the shelves. Triple that for the books.
He took a deep breath. Where to start?
Before he picked up a book or unfurled a scroll, he left and checked out the rightmost room. There were smaller cloth-bound manuscripts here and some thinner scrolls, tied with cord and sealed with carved stone beads. He saw the clan crest on the beads, delicate work with the corona in relief. It reminded him of something else but he put that aside for now.
He had something to find. He didn't have time to reminisce.
He didn't have time to waste. While he had every right to be here, if he disappeared for too long, someone was bound to notice and he didn't want questions asked. That meant he needed to open up a book or unroll a scroll and hope he was on the right track.
Kyo looked at the stone bead seals again with their significant symbol.
Picked up the closest one to hand and carefully undid it.
The scroll rolled open, crisp characters written in dark ink revealing its contents. A quick skim showed it wasn't about technique but about the craft of swordsmanship. They did have samurai in the ancient family lines – just because one knew flame didn't mean it was wise to eschew steel. After tying and sealing the scroll back up, Kyo put it aside and reached for the next one. He tried to comprehend its contents but the script was hard to read and many of the characters were obscure. Yagami probably would've been able to read it – the other man had been given a classical education, after all.
It was the thought of Iori and his current dilemma that made him go for the next scroll. That one, too, wasn't what he was looking for. Time passed and Kyo decided he needed to look elsewhere. Perhaps he wasn't in the right spot. Maybe this room wasn't it. Maybe these scrolls weren't it.
Could it be one of the books? If so, how would he even begin to…
Calm down. Calm down. It was easy to become frazzled surrounded by all this paper and knowledge but freaking out wasn't the answer. If it wasn't in these sealed scrolls, then maybe it was in the room he'd left earlier. He should head back there and check. For all he knew, the scrolls were there to mislead. If that was the case…
It's always the places you least expect, huh?
As he stepped back out into the narrow corridor, he listened for any sounds outside. Nothing so far. Good. The last thing he needed was for someone to find him flipping through a book or reading a scroll of ancient techniques, wondering why he suddenly took an interest in an area he neglected for so long. He didn't want to explain anything, so fortune was on his side. Might as well take advantage of it and search.
He went back into the first room, did a quick scan of the shelves and scrolls and tackled the latter. It didn't take long before he realized the scrolls held rudimentary techniques – stuff he knew, was taught when he was younger – and put them aside, focusing his attention on the shelved volumes. After going through one row of books, he also slated them for idle perusal, if he chose to. So far, none of the material in either room dealt with what he was looking for.
Then again, maybe he was approaching this wrong.
Where would the clan hide or store a record of ancient techniques? Where would Dad, Mom, or Uncle Hajime put…
It had to be here. But he wasn't looking for something obvious.
Think, Kyo. Sure, your clan goes back centuries but ancient techniques are only a handful. The strongest ones won't be scribed in large books or scrolls. It has to be something smaller, something…
He gazed at the shelves again. Began to move the books aside on a hunch.
You would only show this record to someone learning it. To someone initiated in it, which means…
Which meant it was hidden and would only be known to someone seeking it. To someone shown its whereabouts.
Older buildings have their secret passageways. I know Yagami told me his clan estate has hidden rooms and secret tunnels. Clandestine meetings and political exchanges, assassinations and assignations – all in those places. So if our estate has something like that…
He moved the last book on the shelf to the counter below. Found himself staring at a small switch tucked flat and flush against the wooden panel of the bookshelf.
Huh. Didn't quite expect it like that.
He pressed it. Heard the sound of contraptions moving behind the shelf. Kyo stepped away as the lower half of the shelf slid into the recesses of the wall, revealing a low tunnel. He hadn't known this existed. Why would he?
Where does this lead?
If he went in there and someone was to come in…
He took a deep breath. He wasn't going to find his answers playing it safe. Might as well find out where this led, if it took him to the source he sought. Ducking low, Kyo shifted himself into the tunnel on his belly. It was a crawl and that meant it wasn't hidden in the tunnel itself.
Which room or open space was this going to…
Shit. I hope I'm doing the right thing here. If I get caught…
He was the Kusanagi clan heir. In disgrace right now but still carrying the rank and title. No one had stripped him of it yet. He could always declare his rights – consider this as something he ought to know and why wasn't he privy to it?
Many ways to spin things to his advantage, if he so chose to.
Yagami found ways to turn a situation to his advantage. Perhaps it was time for him to do the same. He'd always taken things for granted – had it handed to him, easy and painless. But now he had to fight to reunite them and…
His days of easy living were done. Had been since that day a couple months ago.
Was he only realizing it now?
After shuffling through the tunnel, Kyo stopped. Craned his head forward. He heard voices. Not in here. Beyond. That sounds like…It sounded like his dad. His dad and his uncle? What?
Moving closer to a wooden panel – one step removed from those voices – Kyo pressed his ear against it and listened. From here, while he couldn't hear all – the barrier made certain sounds unclear – he was able to get the gist of the conversation.
Uncle Hajime first. "You know your son's been having late night calls."
"I checked the numbers. It's his friend, Nikaido-san. No worries there."
"I'd still check it out. Make sure he's not up to something."
Oh shit. Laugh it off, Dad. Don't want you prying into…
"You worry too much, Hajime."
"My nephew's been acting up over this boy. How can you be sure he's obedient now?"
"Because he knows the clan sees any further action on his part as treason."
He heard his uncle suck on his teeth – a habit Kyo abhorred. "Harsh, brother."
"Necessary. He needs to remember who he is. Not even a clan heir is free from the clan's judgment."
Something was said but Kyo couldn't hear it. "…elopement of the Yagami heir and one of the Kusanagi women."
"Inexcusable but understandable. At least it wasn't our heir back then."
"Hasn't happened since."
"No. She was executed. An ignominious end. The Yagami heir was killed a month later."
"Does your son know this story?"
"He does not. You should tell him, Hajime. Make it clear to him."
"I shall." A pause. Something else mentioned but muddled. Damn the wood panel! "And the boy? The one you put out of the way?"
"No contact. Seems like my warning has taken hold."
"Not like he can protest. Not with what you did to him."
"He shouldn't have meddled. Try to steal my son away." Faint sounds of objects being shifted. Was that perhaps the red paste pot? "Kyo thinks nothing of it. The boy is an enemy, whether he believes it or not."
"He's young. We all tend to lust at his age."
"He has a girlfriend. No excuses for him, Hajime."
"None whatsoever. Just offering a plausible reason for his unwise actions."
"If he wanted a boy, he could've chosen some other. Why the Yagami heir?"
A sound. Kyo wasn't sure if something had moved or if his uncle had shrugged. "I told you. He's young. Young and stupid. He'll awake from this and look back and laugh. He'll move on. Saisyu, your son knows better than to make the clan astir. That'll be bad for him. And for the Yagami heir."
"That boy won't last too long, anyway."
What?
"Ah. His father…"
"His father barely lasted six months. Of course, we later understood the blood curse kicked in as well. If the boy outlasts his father, it'll be a miracle."
"You could've killed him."
"No need to give the warning, then."
Silence. "I would've killed him, brother. He took what did not belong to him."
"Let him live in fear for however long he can endure."
Kyo clenched his teeth, anger boiling. His father did do something to Iori! Something that shortened his life span – already short enough – and it was serious enough to cause Iori harm. Was the other man going to die? That can't be! He hadn't even seen him yet. Not since that day when all he got was radio silence and now he knew why. Yagami was tougher than that – he wouldn't just drop dead, would he?
"Where's your son now?"
"In the archival building. Curious but maybe he's finally taking some interest in our clan's written history."
"Unlikely. I'll head over there myself. See what he's up to."
"You worry too much."
"Better safe than sorry. My nephew has shown poor judgment lately."
"I'm sure it's nothing but all right. Whatever you think best, Hajime."
"I'll see you later, brother."
The sound of the shoji door sliding open and then shut. His cue to leave. To back the hell out of this tunnel, dust off, restore the books and get the hell into the main room before Uncle Hajime found him snooping. He'd thought his father a hardass; his uncle was worse. His father had left Iori alive but in dire condition. Uncle Hajime would've just murdered him. No way was he getting caught red-handed by his uncle; he dreaded the expression on the older man's face.
Scooting backwards was harder – how long did it take from his father's study to here? – and he was sure he tracked dust and smeared it all over his shirt. Nothing he could do about it. Just move, move, move! When he finally cleared the tunnel, he shot up onto his feet – almost smashing his head against the sharp edge of the bookshelf counter – and slapped the switch. The lower part slid shut, leaving him back in a regular room with books and scrolls.
He breathed hard. He wasn't done yet.
Snatching the bound volumes, he slammed them back onto the shelf, glanced around and quickly scooped the scrolls up. Placed them back where they belonged. Looked down at himself, grimaced, and did the best he could to clean himself. Then counted down in his head and bolted out the room and into the narrow corridor.
Nothing outside yet.
Goddammit, move! You can't get caught here!
He worked the mechanism from inside, opened the sliding door, and almost spilled into the main room. He was breathing too hard, probably looked a mess, which meant if Uncle Hajime saw him…
Kyo turned, booking it for the main entrance.
If he could beat his uncle there, head for his room…
There!
He was out and around the building, nestled in the nearby foliage when he heard the steady footfalls that characterized his uncle. A stalwart member of the clan. Saisyu Kusanagi's brother was trustworthy, unshakable, and not a man to subvert. One of his guardians.
"Kyo? You here?"
Fuck. If he'd seen me in there like this…
Moving now would be unwise. There were windows and he'd make a lot of sound. He just hoped his uncle satisfied his curiosity and would leave. Would leave and not head straight for his room, because then he'd be fucked.
The sound of footsteps in the open. The sound of them receding.
Good.
Kyo waited for a moment and then moved. He made it back to his room without incident – there was no clansman by his door when he returned (fortune still with him) – and promptly removed his shirt and pants. Kicked them under the bed and changed his clothes. Brushed his hair. Wiped off his face, forearms, and hands. Forced himself to calm down, to control his breathing. Treat it like a cooldown after practice, after sparring.
It was important no one knew. It was important he didn't give them a reason to suspect.
But he had to be careful now. His uncle was suspicious.
It was up to him to tread with caution. Even Benimaru's calls were seen in a different light. That meant…that meant he had to warn Benimaru. That he was now being monitored for the timing of his calls as well. If only…if only his clan wasn't so…
Kyo threw himself onto his bed, arms folded under his head.
Fuck.
Things were a lot simpler a few months back.
He got the text message later, giving him the details on the arranged conference call. The timing was dangerous in light of what he now knew. If they got caught…
But Iori was going to be on the call and that was bold. He couldn't afford to pass it up.
He texted Benimaru back, confirming the call from his end.
Tomorrow at three in the morning.
Kyo looked at the ceiling of his room, closed his eyes, and hoped.
He hoped Yagami would still be there – whatever of him survived his father's onslaught, was still fighting to make his way to him. Because they were both fighters in body and soul and just because the body quit didn't mean the soul did.
A poetic line. Better kept to myself, Yagami would say.
Three in the morning. He'd be there.