A/N: KOFtober 22-Music is the prompt.

For a quick reminder, some of the days I have linked previous appropriate pieces I have done for fitting days via my Twitter-I'll probably have these all bunched together either at the start or the end to show off. For example, Yesterday's 21(Horror), I posted a link to 'The Other Side', and for 20(AU) I posted a link to Twisted Justice.


Iori placed his half-empty wineglass on the table and pushed up out of his recliner; walking over to the other side of his apartment, he looked over his bass collection. Over at the side, Athena was lounging on the bed, one of the kittens who prowled around the house snuggled up on her as she flipped through a magazine. A cold autumn rain pounded on the window, making her quite content to be inside.

He had three basses here at his apartment; he owned one more that he kept at the studio. One was his classic, traditional four-string, painted dark red; he used this for a variety of music, from jazz to rock, and from pop to metal. Iori was well-versed on a variety of music, and both listened to and played such, depending on his mood.

The second was also four-string, but fretless. This one he liked for his jazz in particular. He was able to glide over the strings and give it a smooth tone that suited the music. It was done up in a dark, natural wood finish. His third bass was a big six-string; this one was painted in a glossy black with steel and silver embellishments, and he liked it in particular for his heavier music, given the deep, rumbling sound he could get out of the beast and its intimidating appearance. Besides his bands, he would do session work-both studio and live-for other acts from time to time.

At the moment, he was in the mood to just fiddle with anything, so he picked the dark red four-string, plugging it in and leaning back into his favorite chair with it, his leg slung over the side. He lit a cigarette, tossing the lighter to the side as he began to play.

Athena smiled silently and watched him, scratching the small, purring kitten behind the ears. The mother cat was in the corner, her other two kittens near her; the small cat had been a stray that Iori had taken to feeding. He just let her stay whenever she wanted, but when she had gotten pregnant, she decided to have her kittens in the corner of his apartment. The fighter had taken that as a sign that he had been adopted and set up a bed for the family.

Looking around as he noodled with the instrument, he mused how his apartment had gone through some positive changes the past several months. Before, it wasn't dirty, it was cluttered, dark, and given the bare minimum of upkeep. He had since, due to some mood improvements, gotten a few more lights (some colored a relaxing blue-purple), a few more shelves, and a few other odds and ends. It was still on the darker side, but it looked generally more welcoming, cozy, and less...foreboding than it was before.

"What is that?" she asked, enjoying the smooth tone of the rumbling instrument as she always did when she visited.

"Just some random practice," he said softly, the cigarette in the corner of his mouth. He wore only his leather trousers at the moment, and to be frank, cut quite the attractive figure there leaning back as he played. He kept the amp fairly low, as he didn't want to disturb the cats-neighbors, he didn't have to worry much about in his rather sparsely populated building.

"Do you just make these up on the fly?"

"Sometimes. Sometimes they're older song ideas. Other times they're from other bits I've done before."

"Have any gigs coming up?"

He thought for a moment. "In about a month? Been a little busy with other things to gig lately."

She knew that he meant things tied to the tournament. "Let me know. I'd like to go again."

He smiled softly at her, puffing the cigarette once as his long fingers slid over the strings, the instrument skillfully rumbling. "You have any?"

"A few dates later on in the fall. Closer to winter."

As he played, he felt tiny needles clawing into his trouser leg as he looked down, a fake annoyed expression on his face. "I'm practicing."

The black kitten-the biggest of the three, though he was still just a little fluffball-was busily climbing his leg as he made his way onto Iori's lap, snuggling in under his arm.

Athena laughed. "Look at him. He knows where his dad is."

"He knows his dad is trying to practice," he grumped as he stuck the cigarette in the ashtray as he reached down to scratch the kitten's head, the purr coming out almost immediately.

He went back to playing, this time a bit of a rock bassline as Athena smiled at the sight, laying back on the bed with the other little furball on her, who had taken to kneading its paws into her. He looked over and smiled softly at the sight before going back, the music being barely noticeable through the closed window of his apartment.


A/N: Went super simple for this one. Iori's a musician, as is Athena, decided to give them a little spin in this! Also, of course cats, and Athena chilling laid back in his place.