"I can't stand them, Vice."
"That's no breaking news to me, Mature."
"He only cares about his stupid little posse. He doesn't want us here. And he expects us to help him bring back that son of a..."
"It doesn't matter. They're of no consequence to us, Mature. We're the ones that are going to make this happen."
"Fufufufu... no room in our world for annoying little pissants. We're going to have a lot of free space~"
"Kukukuku... our world... the way it should be. No more macho oafs and ideological buffoons to slap us around."
A smile shared between them, Mature slowly approached her partner... she lifted her own hand and extended it, palm out, five fingers protruded.
"Death and Damnation."
Vice returned the favor, raising her own hand as well. "Life and Salvation."
Their hands pressed together... and became one.
Back in the ring, the action hadn't slowed a crumb as the women stepped in the pocket and traded strong. Kasumi drilled her body with a mid palm, following up high to the side of her ear; King took the body hit, but protected her head and swiftly countered with a crushing body kick. Kasumi felt it flush; the younger girl was already backing away...
King pressed forward; she showed off her textbook combinations, going 1-2 to the head to get Kasumi's arms moving high, and then completely tormenting her knee with another hobbling leg kick. Those kicks were brutal; it seemed like every time King threw one, it was a guaranteed hit.
Kasumi set her up for the next attack; she lunged in and swung high with the first... blocked. But she managed to nail another body hit on King, but then the blue-haired girl did something strange; she backed away... right into King's kicking range.
Heat of the moment prevented King from sensing a trap, so she stepped forward and gave Kasumi her best roundhouse... that's when her foot got snared like a mouse trap.
Kasumi showed off her savvy countering game, catching King's kick in her grasp, quickly hooking a foot around her stationary leg and sweeping it, planting King on her back. A swift and punishing follow-up came after, as Kasumi dropped down and rained a chop into her kidneys.
Ryo winced at that one. "Ooooogh... King's gonna feel that one later."
"Good thing it wasn't her hardworking liver." Robert joked. "That thing's a trooper."
King was jarred by the body hit, too much to get up immediately. Kasumi took advantage, snagging King's leg and flopping to the ground, taking it with her at a painful angle. She shifted her weight right, twisting King's entire leg in that direction.
"Gggghghhhh...gghhhoddammit..." King pressed her lips tight and squeaked out those curses. She could feel her kneecap wanting to go in that direction... like a child tapping against a car window, desperate to spring free from confinement... but she needed her knee right where it was.
It would cost King some energy, but she had to make her muscles burn to get back up; one advantage of being a young adult in perfect health was that she could overpower a younger teenager in Kasumi. Of course, now she had to hurry this fight up, lest she get tired as a result...
Upon miraculously pulling her leg free of the submission, the two rolled back to their feet... King, commanding the range, wasted no time bodying Kasumi with a kick to the stomach.
"Guuugh...!" Kasumi's wind left her as her feet flew out and butt skidded. Her upright torso nearly fell backwards... but in a show of endurance, she planted her hands and sprang back up.
"TORNADO KI- uuugh...!"
King's patented two-fold flying kick didn't deliver a favorable result... Kasumi's counter game ran as deep as Geese Howard's, as she caught King's kick in mid-air and threw her into the dirt.
"SHE'S GOT YOUR KICKS TIMED, KING! SWITCH IT UP!" Joe coached.
If there was one thing King didn't adhere to, it was coaching... she was her OWN coach! Getting back up, uttering an expletive-filled French sentence, King pressed forward with a front kick, followed by a light jab, following up with a second kick...
Kasumi parried the first two, and then, once again... she had King's foot snagged.
"Bon sang avec les compteurs...!" King cursed aloud as Kasumi held her foot, closed distance on their bodies... and burrowed King in the stomach with an elbow. The body hits were starting to pile up; between these and the huge exertion from escaping that sub, King was starting to breathe acid.
Meanwhile, on Kasumi's end... she too found an unlikely supporter on the sidelines.
"King! Hey King! King! Hey! Hey King! CHOKE! Hahahahaha!" Malin jeered.
King ignored her taunting, far beyond falling for such juvenile tricks-
"HEY KING! IS THAT A SHOT GLASS BETWEEN YOUR LEGS?!"
...That one got her. King halted her roundhouse mid-flight and stopped to glare daggers at the troublesome imp... and Kasumi seized the moment, planting a reverse knifehand into her cheek. King was rattled, much to her annoyance; whether it was her lack of focus or the hit was a question to be long debated.
"HA HA HA HAAAA! D'ja see that, Gato! I totally made her choke!" Malin cackled, punching the shoulder of the closest person to her: Gato. The man simply snorted in response... but one could swear his face bore the slightest amusement.
"You know what to do, King!" Joe urged. "TIE HER UP!"
...Of course she knew what to do. She only spent three grueling weeks in Thailand, getting it crammed into her head by that spiky haired vain doofus. Much as she hated to take advice, especially from Joe... winning was the utmost objective. Anything done to achieve that end could be tolerated or forgotten.
Thus, King finally forced herself to change her kick-heavy approach, and start getting in close. She took a bad hit to the nose, courtesy of a Kasumi palm, but she powered through it and pressed herself against Kasumi, smothering any attempt at long strikes on both ends. Time to see if this works...
The first time was more of a testing of the waters, which didn't go well: upon trying to secure the plum, King found herself getting wrenched downwards, and next thing she knew, her feet were kicked out from under her, and Kasumi hip tossed her into a dirt reunion.
"Is she trying to clinch with Kasumi?" Ryo questioned, hints of ridicule in his voice. "What the hell is she doing?"
"Shut up!" Joe defended. "She knows what she's doing, alright?! She can beat her there!"
"Dude, you just sent King to her death." Robert degraded.
"Oh yeah? Well a week's supply of gator nuggets says King's got this!"
"...You're on."
King was back up, and Kasumi was punishing her dearly. A backhanded chop shook her jaw, followed by another sapping body blow that nearly folded her... she had to get back control of this fight and fast, because Kasumi was a few good hits away from usurping the Alpha.
"Tie her back up, King!" Joe bellowed. "YOU CAN DO IIIIIT! I WANT MY GATOR NUGGETS!"
"SLICE THE BITCH TO RIBBONS, TODOH!" Malin matched Joe's fire with fire.
Kasumi's focus was a blade, keen in sharpness, cold like steel. As she approached the apex of victory, she thought not once about herself... only of the Todoh clan, of her father, wherever he may be, watching her... guiding her, encouraging her. She knew he was watching... even if his whereabouts were unknown. This was the grandest stage, and no way he wasn't somewhere cheering on his daughter in her moment of glory.
This was for him. All for him. His respect, his acceptance... it's what drove her.
She stepped forward, hands raised, and unleashed her Kasane Ate once more, carving a streak through the dirt as her razor chi converged on King to finish the job.
...Unfortunately, the linear path it took enabled King to easily sidestep it and rush in close. Not that Kasumi minded close... she'd already proven she could-
BAM! King caught her looking with a curving left elbow, then closed even more distance, looking to clinch again! Kasumi shook off the pain and obliged, throwing her arms around King to stifle her...
...But something was different. King had her hands around the back of her head... and it was a strong grip. Unexpectedly strong. Kasumi found herself unable to move the way she wanted to. She tried to wrestle back, but it was too tight... King had her in a deathgrip! Her body felt out of control, like a doll being directed... King was manipulating her at will!
Her hands were too focused on trying to get loose... she left herself wide open, and the first knee nestled deep into her stomach. Before a gasp could ring out, a second knee followed... a THIRD knee... Kasumi couldn't stop it!
"Look at her legs!" Ryo pointed. "She's wobbling! King's got her hurt!"
It was true... Kasumi felt a very real pain in her midsection, coupled with an urge to vomit, and King was preventing her from even curling up to alleviate it. A fourth knee, fifth knee... she felt her legs give out. The sixth knee came... and her chin took the full brunt.
"Damn, son!" Joe gushed. "Kasumi is TOAST!"
King still maintained the Thai clinch... but she loosened up when she felt Kasumi stop resisting. She backed away to confirm the damage; Kasumi was too weak to stay up.
"A...gh...ghhh..."
"Désolée." was the only consolation she could give, as she rushed in, got a spinning start, and let her foot fly across Kasumi's forehead with a burst of pink chi: a point-blank Venom Strike, impossible to prevent.
All at once, Kasumi's dreams and ambitions came crashing down... along with the rest of her body... as she hit the ground, she could only imagine... what was he thinking? Was he looking away in disappointment? Was this the moment he'd disown her? It was too much... too much... this crappy life she'd been forced to grow up in. Honor was so stupid.
WINNER: KING
King, humble in victory against her friends, immediately went over to tend to Kasumi. As King lifted her up... the blue-haired girl was shedding tears.
"H-hey... you okay? Why you crying?" King asked, lifting Todoh back to her feet and holding her up.
Kasumi wiped them quickly. "Sniff sniff... I-I'm sorry, King-sama. I shouldn't be so weak. You had a great victory, and that's all that matters. Congratulations!"
King smiled a bit awkward. "Thanks, but... why do I feel so bad about it?"
Kasumi shook her head, as if shaking away her sorrow. "Y-you shouldn't! You were wonderful. I felt I was close... but you're the founder for a reason, King-sama. You're the shining symbol of what we all should strive to be. I... I wish I was like you..."
Upon hearing that, King let out a soft, ironic chuckle, her hand finding her shoulder.
"Eheheh... ehhhhh... I'm not so great. Trust me. Look Kas, you've got the heart and the ambition, but sometimes that can only get you so far. The chips play a big factor in things. Hell, even if I got you just now, who's to say you couldn't have whooped Ryo if it were him standing here? There's no way of knowing... so just take the L and don't dwell on it too much, okay? It's not the end of the world, and it's certainly not a negative statement on your skills. It just... it just IS, Kas. It just is."
Kasumi wiped her eyes one last time, finally picking her head up. "You're right... but... my father... I had to win for him..."
King rolled her eyes. "Cmon dude, why do you care so much about the opinion of someone who's NEVER HERE? Your sisters are here for you all the time, and we all think you do just fine. So screw old man Todoh! I knew the guy, and he was a total weirdo out of touch with reality. I'm sorry you had to be raised by that, but cmon girl... be different. Be better."
Kasumi gave a bow... not a clear sign of whether she agreed with King or not, but at least an acknowledgement of her words.
"Thank you, King-sama. I... I'll think about it. I'm not sure I could abandon my family values so easily... I'll just think about it."
In the aftermath, Kasumi was taken to the hospital, and King refused medical treatment, instead returning to Ryo and Robert's side to celebrate victory, as well as watch Yuri's upcoming fight.
...And then there was Joe. The whole time since King delivered the final blow, he was grinning ear to ear, attributing much of the victory to himself as the one who so-called "gave King the tools to win". While it WAS technically true... nobody could ever be bothered to give Joe the time of day.
...Not that he really cared at the moment. He had other things on his mind.
"I like my gator nuggets for lunch AND dinner, thank you."
OPENING ROUND FIGHT #15: YURI SAKAZAKI VS MATURE
Yuri was already in the ring... feeling good. Feeling healthy. Her brother and Robert watching, Dad chilling at home with the tv remote, and she'd just witnessed King have an awesome victory. King, Mai, Chizuru... all her ladies had cleaned up. It was HER turn now. With a tightening of her trademark headband, she flashed a grin to the crowd; being a fan favorite, she would be the easily rootable one in this bout.
"Papa... I'm gonna make you proud." Yuri muttered to herself. "I'm not gonna let my brother have all the glory. I can be Miss Karate, dammit! Mai and King already handled their business... I'm not gonna be overshadowed by them! This is my fight... this is MY FIGHT... MY FIGHT...!"
"YOU GOT THIS, YURI!" Robert cheered. "Ahh... doesn't she look so cute out there, friend of mine?"
"W-well... she looks like my sister." Ryo replied with deadpan.
"I think she looks perfect."
"Is that your totally unbiased, non-boyfriend-obsessed-with-texting-and-kissing-and-making-googoo-eyes-opinion?" King teased.
...Robert wasn't paying attention. He was too busy wiggling fingers at Yuri with a stupid grin, while she waved back.
"...I rest my case."
This particular match attracted the attention of Malin big time; the girl was now sitting atop Gato's shoulders, legs interlaced around his neck to sustain her high vantage point. Gato, to his admirable integrity, ignored her completely.
The girl couldn't stifle her excitement, in the most sadistic way... feeling prideful as the orchestrator, or more accurately, "enabler" of this matchup... Malin slurped her soft drink and stared intently, even ignoring her painfully full bladder; no break of any kind could interrupt this.
And thus, the other half of the story unfolded: a much less pleasant half, involving two women who had been around since the reign of Rugal himself. Originally posing as his secretaries, a time in which they were forced into a reluctant servitude under his cruel boot, their sinister nature was slowly revealed as years passed, mostly from their time in Iori Yagami's company. The truth of their Orochi alignment came to a boil at 96, when they famously defied Goenitz in favor of Iori... who proceeded to rip them to fine, bloody shreds.
At this point... nobody was really sure what Mature and Vice wanted. They were dead. Ghosts. They only seemed interested in goofing off in the mortal world, mainly in the company of the very man who killed them, truly befitting of their madness. Were they still loyal to the Hakkeshu? Even now... was the resurrection of "God" their means to an end? Did they simply not care, as long as they had each other, and Iori to torment? Was it a huge ruse, a long-term plan to lower Iori's guard and enact a grisly revenge?
The mystery made them that much scarier. As far as Yashiro was concerned, they were helpful enough to the mission, simply left to their own devices.
"Yaggy darling, we're going to go have some fun." Mature cooed his name as she seductively traced his chin with whimsical fingers. "Keep our seat warm for us~?"
In typical fashion, Iori swatted her away. "Go have a ball. Get out of my hair a while."
And thus, the sinister, symbiotic "siamese twins" converged to the combat zone... but not before stopping, and coming to a consensus.
"Which one is going to take the bratling?"
"I'll do it."
"Fine with me. Don't lose, or I'll make you regret it later."
"Bitch, I'm not going to lose. You can stand there, watch, and look sexy."
"Kukukukukuku... just remember to make it painful. EXTRA painful, to please that Yashiro jerk."
"Fufufufufufu... of that you can be certain, my dearest~"
That abhorrent oath was sealed with a kiss: the two devilish women closing distance, pressing their bodies together, their lips touching slow, unhurried... in front of 75,000 people, the romantic gesture was largely overlooked, given their inhuman nature, and Yuri's favor.
When the two finally faced each other in the ring, it was obvious who the crowd was for: there was already a chant going for the young Sakazaki. It could be said with great confidence... only one person on the planet truly cared to see Mature win.
"Little Sakazaki brat." Mature called to her, her tongue disturbingly raking across her teeth. "Your flesh is so supple and white. I can smell the ripeness of your blood. Fufufufufu... yesssssss... I'm going to make great art with you~"
Yuri couldn't deny she was slightly unsettled, but the spunky Sakazaki was quick to return sass. "Psssssh! You and I have been around the block enough times that I don't care about your morbid overkill bullshit. Try it on someone else that hasn't heard it a thousand times!"
FIGHT!
Yuri was quick on the draw, unleashing a chop into Mature's cheekbone, which startled the woman more than expected, as she started backing away. A right came after, a left... Mature barely had time to block the two strikes before a kick sailed into her upper ribcage.
Knowing she had Mature on the ropes early, Yuri planted her feet, gave a loud kiai, and let loose a banger of a palm strike. Still stunned from the kick, Mature's compromised guard caused her to take it clean, putting her in serious reverse. Yuri was advancing, relentless, while Mature seemed to be in trouble...
...But a smile, and a lick of her lips said otherwise.
Yuri winced, as she felt Mature's fingers lash out in defense, opening a fine tear in the shoulder of her Karate gi. She didn't have time to look down... but she didn't need to. She could feel the sting, the funny tickle of blood pooling. How deep? No time to find out.
Mature sensed Yuri's pause button hit, and she came forward, rushing with slashing talons. Left, right, left... Yuri had to put her whole body into dodging the swipes, lest they produce more cuts. Mature backed her up, and swiftly spun 180, protruding her foot behind her at an upper angle and catching Yuri square in the chest, stunning the brunette. As Mature came back around, she delivered a double-decker slashing uppercut, one hand following the second hand, leaping into the air at the peak of propulsion. Had Yuri not stumbled backwards at the opportune moment... she'd have been gutted like a fish.
"That nasty witch..." Ryo growled, his fists clenching. "She better take it easy, or she'll have ME to deal with."
"You can't, dude. You'll be disqualified." Robert argued.
"It's not worth watching my sister get hurt!"
"Don't get me wrong, I don't want to see Yuri get injured either... but this is a legal sporting event. Mature won't take it too far. The rules will protect Yuri."
"...The rules." King let out a mocking scoff at that one. "You guys should know better by now."
On the sidelines, the red-haired counterpart was more than eager to voice her support in the name of evil intent. "GO AFTER HER, MATURE! MAKE HER BLEED!"
Mature smiled a maniacal smile, equally eager to carry out that decree. She came forward, fingers brandished, murder on her mind...
Yuri decided now was a good time to unleash chi. "KOUKEN! KOUKEN! KOUUUUKEN!"
One after another they came, three in total. Mature's own chi manifested, in the form of thin blue streaks, as her talons cleaved through the fireballs one by one, unable to stop her advancing closer and closer. Finally, she reached the kill zone... and like a panther jumping its meal, she pounced at Yuri with a wild, rending slash.
"Hell NO!" Yuri cursed as she barrel rolled out of the way of the strike, causing Mature to hit only air. That one was too close...
They recovered at the same time, but Yuri was quicker to respond. A power left sent Mature back into a stumble, a right found her other cheek, and Yuri smoothly pumped out a body kick afterwards. She was simply too fast for Mature in the striking.
"Little bratling...!" Mature hissed. She smacked the next punch away and fired back with a stomping kick to the stomach, now putting Yuri in the reverse driver's seat. Mature came barreling back forward, unleashing a left slash, right slash, spinning around into a WIDE third one... Yuri felt like she was dodging sickles.
"Keep retreating little girl..." Mature moaned. "I can smell the fear bubbling in your blood, and it gets me so EXCITED~!"
"Ngh... you're nutty!" Yuri fired back through clenched teeth, feeling the sting of her shoulder cut start to really flare up now. Maybe it'd affect her swing... maybe the pain would just make her angrier and stronger.
Despite the danger, Yuri didn't retreat; she knew she could outstrike Mature. They stepped back in the pocket, upon which Yuri cracked her chin with a MASSIVE uppercut... Mature was wobbling!
"YURI'S GETTING HER!" Ryo cheered. "GO, SIS!"
Yuri couldn't contain her smile; she pumped one in Mature's liver, following up with a fist to her breast... as those punches hunched the blonde over, Yuri leaped into her, planting her feet and bicycle kicking chest to head, using that momentum as a spring board to somersault backwards to a safe range. While in mid-air, she left a parting gift...
"RAIOKEN!" was Yuri's next wise move, as she commanded the range, launching a mortar of a pink fireball, which exploded at Mature's feet and blasted the blonde into a tumble.
"My girl's putting it on her!" Robert fist pumped.
"Looks like Mature may have lost some power in her ghostly form..." King analyzed, a thumb in her teeth.
At this point, it was obvious who the fresher fighter was... Yuri had but a tiny cut on her shoulder, not even deep enough to make the mostly congealed blood drizzle. Meanwhile, Mature was a mess: panting, dirty, hair messed up... her eyes quivered with insanity as the pattern of blood vessels in her retinas grew redder...
Yuri was glowing with momentum, feeling invincible, top of the world... the chance to join her teammates in Round 2 was within her grasp.
"Still talking that big shit, Miss Manicure Gone Horribly Wrong?" Yuri taunted her opponent with her trademark move: a slap of her own ass. "We're both vets at this game, we've both come a long way... but I want it more than you. I fight for the sport and to hone my skills, not to be a sadistic bitch like you and your partner-in-skank!"
Mature was off the ground, at least, back on all fours, still panting, heaving... a low, guttural type of heave, like an animal cornered. Her eyes predated on Yuri, as the brown-haired girl grew closer... closer... cracking her knuckles.
...That was as far as she got.
SLAAAAASH!
Yuri's confident eyes widened with shock... as did the rest of the Stadium, as a silence spread corner to corner.
Ryo, Robert, King, all jumped to their feet, mouths agape.
Yuri stumbled backwards... her eyes were scared to look down and see. She could feel it flowing though... the loose fabrics of her gi fluttering, the small, pinching awakening of the nervous system, slowly rousing from its slumber, to a full wake, until the pain started SCREAMING... and she could very distinctly feel the warm trickle down her abdomen.
Her eyes stared forward, petrified, mortified... Mature was back up, those icy blues staring back into hers... as she reached up and slid her tongue between the grooves of her fingers, where the red had seeped... along with that staining her tips.
Still too shocked to move, Yuri could only watch fearfully as Mature smiled wide... reared her hand back, and backhanded Yuri in the face, a thunderous CLAP! on her cheek, knocking the brunette facefirst into the dirt.
"You dare talk down to me, little bratling?" Mature hissed. "See how easily your blood spills."
The Stadium and sidelines all EXPLODED at once.
"YURI! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Ryo screeched as he charged out there to stop the carnage, only held back by a surprise intervention by Terry.
"NO, DON'T! You'll get canned!"
"I DON'T CARE! LET ME GO!"
"The officials will stop the fight! Don't be stupid, Ryo!"
Joe was making a similar effort to hold Robert back. King, meanwhile... she was on the edge of the grass, teeth clenched, fists balled, her foot fighting not to take that last step... an agonizing exertion of self-restraint.
Yuri moaned softly as she struggled back to her feet... her abdomen was visible, the gi completely ripped off the bottom half, a huge diagonal red gash streaked above her navel, drizzling gnarly streaks of red downwards, like a horrid graffiti painting. Her lip, meanwhile, was split open on both top and bottom, a nasty gash where her teeth had cut her.
Mature was back on her in an instant, snatching her by the face and flinging her back into the dirt, so hard she skidded across the ring until she was on the grass.
"Get up, runt!" Mature licked her lips with hunger. "GET. UP. So I can taste more of you."
"YES! YES!" Vice encouraged. "MAKE HER SUFFER!"
Yuri was back up; her flesh was crying out, her essence oozing, her head spinning, but she was STILL a fighter, dammit. The only way she'd go out was on her shield. She just needed to find that hit... find the one that would put Mature to sleep.
...But as Mature came charging forward, ravenous, unyielding... it seemed like all Yuri's efforts had been for naught.
"Ugh... ahh... whadda I gotta do.. to make this bitch... go out...!"
Yuri fought back valiantly, crashing into Mature's cheek with a well-placed fist, mixing up a front kick behind it... but Mature parried the kick... and the pain continued.
SLASH! SLASH!
"Aghhh!" Yuri squealed when she felt it, the venomous bite on her forearms from fine cuts opening. She stopped to look: two thin streaks of red, extending from elbows to wrists. The pain was... catastrophic...!
Before she had time to even react, Yuri felt a greedy hand snatch her by the hair, and yank tight; she yelped, as she felt the hair follicles nearly rip free of her scalp. "AGGHHHHH!"
"How does it feel~?" Mature addressed her face-to-face, their noses nearly touching, Yuri's vision drowned in the blue of those quivering irises. "It's funny how pain works... sometimes the faintest cuts, on the surface of the skin, just enough to make the blood break free... those can hurt the most. Don't you AGREE?!"
Mature tossed her by her hair, flinging the wailing Yuri into the skies, where Mature leaped up to meet her, hands drawn back...
SLASH! SLASH!
The audience winced with discomfort: they could see droplets of blood falling in the atmosphere as the two bodies returned to Earth: Mature landing on her feet, and Yuri falling right in her vicinity... as soon as she was close enough, Mature snagged her by the neck in mid-fall, and slammed her.
"UGGGGGHhhhhhhhkkkkkk.. couugh couuughhkkkk...!" Yuri coughed and sputtered, spitting blood and trying to regain her air at the same time, while trying to stomach the pain of two fresh cuts on her calves. She was, for lack of a better word... miserable. Everything had fallen so quickly, her momentum going from mountain peak to Earth's core. The blonde sadist... something had awakened in her. Something terrifying. Yuri was... scared...
"STOP THE DAMN FIGHT!" King screamed to the VIP booth, where Rose was sitting. To her favor, the blonde hostess was looking... indecisive. She was caught between standing up and sitting down, head bobbing rapidly left to right, as if the choice was very real in her head, bouncing back and forth... protect the fighter, but risk disappointing the crowd with a premature stoppage? What to do...what to DO... it was her choice and hers alone. What a terrible burden...
"YURI, JUST GO DOWN! DON'T GET UP!" Ryo begged.
"LISTEN TO YOUR BROTHER!" Robert seconded.
Yuri screamed with all she had as she came rushing forward, throwing an uppercut that lifted her feet off the ground, socking Mature in the chin and sending her head straight up. Mature growled and tried to leap at her in response, but Yuri countered well: she threw herself onto Mature, snatching her by the dress, and allowed herself to freefall backwards, taking Mature's weight with her... the two hit the ground, and Yuri's momentum launched Mature backwards, flinging the blonde a safe distance away.
It took a moment for Mature to recover from the jarring throw: enough that Yuri was back up, and throwing a Kouken in her face.
"EAT THAT!" Blood flew from Yuri's mouth as she yelled in defiance, standing on shaky legs, but still managing to maintain her Karate stance.
"Damn youuuuuu...!" Mature cursed her name as she wobbled from the impact of that fireball. She came rushing back towards Yuri, the brunette meeting her halfway... and they clashed again.
A left sailed into Mature's cheek. A body shot right after, buried into her ribs. But it just wasn't enough... Mature didn't go down. Yuri had lost too much power in her strikes, the pain of her cuts rendering tears to her eyes with each swing. It was all she could do... to avoid curling in a ball...
Mature snatched her by the face with one hand, using the other hand to pump two blows into her stomach. A third strike came... and Mature literally lifted Yuri off her feet with a DEBILITATING knee to her gut.
"Auuughhhhhhhhh... ghhhhhh...ghhaaahhhh..."
Yuri's worst fear was realized... she was defenseless, her body no longer strong enough to protect herself from the madwoman. She was a powerless canvas, to be violated as her opponent saw fit.
Mature saw fit indeed, as she lifted Yuri effortlessly, and flipped her over her head, slamming her facefirst and letting her lie flat, motionless.
"I'm going to take your blood, brat." Mature threatened as she kicked Yuri in the stomach, rolling her over onto her back. "Just enough that you'll SHIVER... and through your chattering teeth, you'll beg me for mercy."
"IT'S OVER! STOP THE GODDAMN FIGHT NOW!" King was now turned around, facing the VIP booth, her eyes glaring violently in Rose's direction. If one didn't know any better, King looked ready to rush the stands and...
Mature hovered over the shaking, whimpering Yuri with a sociopathic grin, as her fingers trailed closer to her thick thighs... they touched down, and she dragged...
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Yuri's glass-shattering wail pierced the Stadium as her spandex opened, her precious skin along with it, producing red streaks that flowed with no viscosity, reaching all the way down to her socks. At this point, the audience was either looking away with an onslaught of boos, or trying to hold their lunch in.
"Mmmmmmmmm ahhhahahahahahaaaaa... you bleed so easily..." Mature moaned disturbingly loud, her eyes nearly crossing as a dark, forbidden, sinful pleasure was derived from the woman's unholy work.
"GET AWAY FROM HER, YOU BITCH!" Ryo screamed, close to actually hitting Terry to break free.
"GET AWAY FROM MY YURI!" Robert was straight up spitting, Joe fighting with all his might to keep Garcia from rushing the combat zone and giving Mature a violent retribution.
"DON'T STOP, MATURE!" Vice continued to encourage the barbaric behavior. "NO MATTER WHAT THEY SAY, DON'T STOP!"
...Iori had officially seen enough. With a slam of his fist, powerful enough to dent the metal bench, he leaped to his feet and stormed towards the transgression. Yagami had one advantage these others didn't... he couldn't care less about disqualification. The rules held no dominion over him. It was the easiest decision in the world to trespass upon the fight, and put a stop to the madness his ghastly pain-in-the-asses were wreaking. In a way, some twisted way... it was his responsibility.
"Oh no you don't."
Iori's spirited stomp was halted by those four words. He turned... snow white hair and angry eyes were in his face.
Yashiro growled as he came in hot with a flying punch, barely whizzing past the red locks of Iori's hair. The redhead stumbled backwards, frustrated fangs baring, but Yashiro kept stepping forward: a huge, pivoting roundhouse crashed into Iori's guard, sending him sliding backwards a great distance, in the opposite direction.
"Get out of my way!" Iori commanded, regaining himself and his posture, facing his obstruction.
"You're not taking another goddamn step." Yashiro countered, full fighting stance, directly between him and the carnage happening in the ring. His eyes glared into Iori's own... rage matching rage.
"I'M NOT ASKING!" Iori howled, his fingers curling violently, declaring dangerous intent.
"You wanna start something, Yagami?! I'M RIGHT HERE!" Yashiro screamed those last words, pounding his own chest with his fist, demonstrating his lack of fear... and his desire for things to escalate further.
The two slowly circled, sizing each other up like primates... one could swear there were steaming hisses from their nostrils as their teeth bared. The veins protruded in their fists, from the tightness in which they clenched... their eyes widened...the blood vessels bulging in their sockets... not a blink between them...
"THAT'S ENOUGH, ALL OF YOU!"
They heard the voice of Rose, but neither turned their attention away from the other. It wasn't until Chizuru obstructed Iori's view that he finally snapped out of it, looking up, and was abruptly pushed back. On Yashiro's end, Chris was holding him back too... to the best of the small kid's effort.
Mature was forcefully distanced, as Rose caught up and flanked the fallen Yuri's body. "This fight is over! You two!" she announced, pointing to the wicked duo. "Get out of here now! I don't want you at the Stadium for the rest of the day! AM I CLEAR?"
Mature shot her a disgusted look, smoothing out her hair, her dress... but within seconds, those lips curled back upwards to a sickening grin.
"Fine with me. I don't need this anyway. Coming, Vice~?"
"Coming, Mature~"
WINNER: MATURE
They hooked arms around the others' waist and merrily strutted away, to an orchestra of boos, thrown objects, death threats... some of the fighters stared them down the entire way, probably exercising restraint to jump them.
"I want you so bad." Vice whispered seductively in her ear... and Mature shuddered with arousal as she felt the redhead's tongue slither down her jawline.
"You can have me... and more." Mature purred, reciprocating the desire mutually.
They couldn't wait; the longing for physical interaction overtook them, as the two stopped, turned to face each other, lips growing closer...
...Until a giant bosom crashed into Mature's back, followed by an intrusive pair of happy hands.
"WE DID IT~!" Shermie squealed with glee, unwanted fingers invading personal property. "Group hug in the showers~?"
The auburn-haired woman was abruptly shoved onto her butt.
"Not with you."
"Get lost."
Not turning to look back, the duo locked waists once more and strutted out of the Stadium.
Shermie got up, rubbing her behind with a wince, as her lips pouted visibly. "Hmph... you two never let me join in..."
Things returned to normalcy... somewhat. Iori and Yashiro were successfully broken up, the audience had finished throwing stuff at the exiting wrongdoers, so all that was left was tending to Yuri.
Ryo, Robert, King, Chizuru were all gathered around her, in support. The Kyokugens in particular had her scooped up, laying her head in their laps.
"Yuri, speak to me. Speak to your brother... please."
A massive relief came when Yuri's closed eyes twitched, followed by a soft moan... her eyelids slowly pried apart, until the world was visible to her once again. A silent, collective relief washed over them all, like a calming breeze.
"Ungh... Ryo... Robbie... am I bleeding?"
Chizuru knelt down, placing a comforting hand on her. "You've got multiple lacerations on the arms, legs, and torso. But they're all not very deep. Only a couple might require stitches."
Yuri smiled weakly. "Heheheh... thank god for that... I just hope Papa's not watching... he'd be on the living room floor, twitching. I should have bought him that... Life Alert... hahahaha..."
"Yuri...!" Ryo and Robert called her name painfully as they nestled her in their arms, shielding her, comforting her... protecting her from all harm... just like those old days.
"CAN WE GET SOME GODDAMN PARAMEDICS PLEASE! MERCI F***ING BEAUCOUP!" King made no effort to hide the brashness in her tone. Her eyes were still seeing red, almost a crimson fire awash in her pigment.
"King..." Chizuru tried to extend a hand.
"Don't touch me!" King slapped it away. She turned and faced Rose, let loose a pointing finger... and her manifested anger exploded all at once.
"You need to get this f***ing tournament under control, Miss Tea and Crumpets! You hear me?! If not, then I'll f***ing straighten it out for you!"
Rose recoiled, wincing away... any fight in her was absent. She couldn't bear to look any of them in the eye... if even a mirror were present, she felt she could smash the blasted thing. This... this was all her. Her weakness. Her failure to act. What right did she have to say a word in defense?
Chizuru thankfully quelled the situation. "That's enough, King. Take a breath. The paramedics are here. The two of us will go with her?"
King had to take a few breaths. Eyes closed, in through the nose... out through the mouth. She repeated this motion about four or five times, until her eyes at last re-opened. "Of course. Sorry...Rose."
"We're going to take her now." the medics declared to Ryo and Robert. It took massive willpower to release her from their arms... but at last, the Kyokugens reluctantly loosened their grip, and entrusted her safety to total strangers.
"Wait for us, Yuri." Ryo gently stroked her head one last time. "As soon as our fights are over, we'll come join you."
"Guys, RELAX." Yuri laughed... but she couldn't hide the painful twisting of her face. "Ngh... seriously. I'm guh... gonna be fine. Chiz and Kingy will take care of me, and Mai is already there too. It'll be like a party! Hehehe... owwwww..."
Before they could fully load her, Robert cut in one last time... to press his lips tight against hers, for several precious seconds, like it was the last time he'd ever kiss her. That thankfully wasn't the case here... but the current emotions definitely made him not take that kiss for granted.
"I love you, Yuri." Robert whispered. "Take care, and don't make a fuss okay? Let em stitch you up."
"Alright, ROBBIE. I'm not a child." Yuri laughed.
The paramedics prepared to load her in... but Yuri had one last gift for the crowd. While she was still visible, she gave a cute wink, flashed two thumbs up to the Stadium, her tongue hanging out goofy. The crowd EXPLODED with cheer, a backdraft phenomenon sparked from the horrible threat Mature had presented just minutes earlier. To see her alive, well, in good spirits... it nearly undid all the work the Hakkeshu had sown up to this point.
And finally, the door slammed, and the ambulance took Yuri Sakazaki away.
Malin took the moment to discreetly slip out of the Stadium. Much as she wanted to staple her lips ear to ear, something about that whole deal left her feeling... sour. It wasn't nearly the sweet syrupy aftertaste she expected when seeing Yuri humiliated... she was sick to her stomach. Regardless of how much she hated Yuri, that was... that was too far. MUCH too far. She's never seen that much of Yuri's...!
...She could have prevented this. That alone was corrosive enough to eat away at her.
"Those assholes better not f***in' card me..." Malin muttered to herself, as she made her way to the nearest beer vendor.
Whew... that was rough. I hated to do that to you all, honestly. ESPECIALLY after the... less pleasant reception to the Mai vs Malin fight. And so, I apologize to all Yuri lovers, for the pain you're no doubt feeling, and the vengeful thoughts probably brewing towards me : , (
NEXT CHAPTER: Well... just look below. It's BONUS SCENE TIME!
BONUS SCENE
MEANWHILE, AT A HOTEL SUITE...
The most expensive suite at one of the nearby hotels had been purchased, for the whole week. Two weeks, just to be safe... a pretty penny to the common fighters, who didn't have a slew of KOF victories under their belt to set them for life.
The name on the debit card? Eiji Kisaragi.
"We are live just moments after the horrendous battle between Yuri Sakazaki and Mature reached its climax! I gotta say, some of the fighters in this competition are just NASTY."
"I have to agree, I think it's very disgusting that some participants haven't fully... you know, EMBRACED the sportsmanship, the purity of a tournament like this, meant to bring everyone together and be a fun time. There's been quite a lot of em so far, who seem to be fighting with the sole intent of trying to get the crowd against them."
"Well, I'd say they're doing a heck of a jo-"
The mute button was pressed on the tv a second later, the remote tossed away by a long, pale, slender arm.
White, painted fingernails drummed on the nearby lamp table, while the other hand gently traced the girth of a long, red spear, too long to stand up in the hotel room, instead draped across the same bed which the person was sitting.
"Things are heating up out there, Shion." an equally pale, skinny blonde man called out from the other side of the hotel room. He was sitting in a nearby chair, flanked by a shorter figure: a girl, looking tender of age, with short black hair.
The duo was playing with a black eyepatch, tossing it back and forth, when a high-speed projectile came flying at them. Just before the eyepatch landed back in the blonde's hand... a wooden dart struck it, pinning it to the nearby wall, with pinpoint precision.
Now that their attention was fully grasped, the polearm-wielding person spoke.
"The Hakkeshu are going about it all wrong. They think they have to sow hatred and win this whole damned tournament to resurrect the God... we can do it in a fraction of the time, with less a fraction of the effort."
"They do have their uses, Shion." the blonde explained. "Not like they're making it harder for us."
The figure known as Shion flicked his long brown hair, blowing tightly-woven blue braids out of his face. "They can waste their time with little sparrows if they want. We... are going after the big prize."
The black-haired girl removed the eyepatch from the wall, and began playing with it again. The foppish-haired blonde, meanwhile, continued his focus.
"You're really going to go through with it? It's risky. More risky than you're treating it right now."
Shion merely laughed, as he lifted his beloved spear and brandished it, the sharp tip which once slain his counterpart glistening in the light of the nearby lamp. "You want to bring Him back, and fast? All we need is one person. If Germany were to lose their beloved national champion, that's all it would take to fill the world with the anguish we need. Anguish... despair... pure energy, to fuel His arrival. It's that simple."
KNOCK KNOCK!
"...They're here. ENTER!"
Shion and the two others turned their attention to the door. It opened, and two figures walked in: one, a menacing brute of a man, clad in all red and orange, looking strikingly familiar to a ninja gi, but modified for a more barbaric appearance. To complete the savage image was a gas mask upon his face, serving no real purpose other than to look intimidating. It worked.
The other figure was much more... flamboyant. Candy cane leggings, prop-looking roller skates, a green overcoat, and, the most eye-opening feature... white makeup, red painted lips, and a giant red nose, to compliment his 70s rockstar hair... this guy looked like he escaped from a circus based near a toxic waste dump.
The two figures walked (or skated) into the hotel room, shutting the door behind them, upon which they approached Shion with a simultaneous bow.
"Joker, Gozu." Shion called their names with a troublesome smirk. "You made it. Good. I have a contract for you... kill Adelheid Bernstein."
