Note to Mewberries: I didn't actually create Iori. He's a character in SNK's video game series "King of Fighters'

Chapter three: First Encounter

Fred and his group walked down the stone corridors of the castle, hoping to find any clue to where to go.

Linda looked over at Iori. The red-haired man had been silent for the past three minutes. Linda figured that he might as well start a conversation.

"So, Iori?" Linda said. "Do you have a girlfriend or someone you have that's close to you at all?"

"Well," Iori replied. "My parents died when I was a mere infant, and my sister had disappeared not long after. She's been presumed dead."

"That's terrible!" Cindy gasped.

"Ah, I've gotten over it. It was over twenty years ago." Iori said, cracking a weak smile. "I DO, however, have a girlfriend, but I'm always fearing for her safety."

"Why's that?" Jack asked.

"Because," Iori replied. "Whenever I'm about to start a fierce fight, I go into what's called 'Riot of Blood', and I uncontrollably turn into a bloodthirsty monster."

Everyone was speechless.

"How did it happen?" Was all Daphne could say.

"It didn't just 'happen'. I was born with it." Iori replied. "Only two people I know have been able to go Riot of Blood: Myself and a teenage girl named Leona Heidern. However, we've started going Riot of Blood at different times. I've only being going Riot of Blood for about the past seven years. Leona, on the other hand, has been going Riot of Blood since she was five."

"Sorry I asked." Jack said.

"S'aright." Iori replied, smiling.

"Huh?" Jack asked.

"Never mind." Iori replied.

The group continued until they came to an intersection going three different ways.

"We might as well split up and take separate paths." Dack suggested.

"Okay." Jack replied. "Linda and I will take this path."

"Dack and I will search the path over here." Cindy continued.

"Fred and I will take Iori this way." Daphne finished.

Just when everyone was about to split up, they heard footsteps coming from the shadows.

"Who's there?" Fred asked.

His question was quickly answered, as a tall man stepped out of the shadows. He was wearing a hockey mask.

"How original." Jack said as he rolled his eyes.

The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a small revolver.

"QUICK! SCATTER!" Dack shouted.

Everyone split up, running off in different directions, but the man decided to chase after Fred, Daphne and Iori. Daphne looked back and saw the man chasing after them.

"He's right behind us, Fred! Think of something!" Daphne shouted.

"Don't worry, dear!" Fred replied. "I think I've got an idea!"

Fred led Daphne and Iori into a bedroom. The man ran in after them, but when he entered the room, the three people he was chasing were nowhere to be seen.

"I'd look for you if I had the time!" The man called out. "But right now I've got bigger fish to fry!"

With that, the man walked out of the room. When he did, Fred and Daphne walked out of the closet as Iori crawled out from underneath the bed.

"Whew!" Daphne said. "That was almost TOO close!"

Daphne reached into her pocket and pulled out a handkerchief to rub her sweaty forehead with. When she pulled out the handkerchief, a small photo fell out of her pocket. Iori reached down and picked it up.

"Daphne, I think you dropped this." Iori said.

Just as Iori was about to give the photo back to Daphne, he saw what was on the picture. It was a black and white photo of a man and woman in a hospital room, holding two identical babies in their arms. Iori stared at the photo wide-eyed before Daphne took it from his hand.

"Daphne, where'd you get that photo?" Iori asked, still wide-eyed.

"I've had it all my life." Daphne replied. "It's a photo of my real parents holding my brother and I at birth. My parents died in a fire when I was a mere toddler, and my brother died with them. I was adopted shortly thereafter and was given the last name 'Blake'. This photo is all the memory of my family I have." Daphne put the photo back into her pocket and looked at Iori. "Why? What does it have to do with-"

Daphne was cut short when Iori reached into one of his pants pocket, pulled out a photo and showed it to her. Daphne stared at the photo with wide eyes and an open mouth. Other than a few crinkles, Iori's photo was the exact same one as hers!

"-You?" Daphne finished.

Iori put the photo back into his pocket as both he and Daphne stared at each other, both on the verge of tears.

"It's really you." Iori said as he placed a hand on Daphne's face.

"I-I don't believe it." Daphne said, her voice sounding like it was going to crack.

"Believe it, Daphne." Iori replied, a tear rolling down his face. "It's me."

Daphne and Iori suddenly threw their arms around each other, both crying tears of joy.

"What's going on, Daphne?" Fred asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Fred," Daphne replied, looking back at her husband over her shoulder. "Iori's the twin brother I've been missing for my whole life!"

To be continued.