Disclaimer: As much as I'd like to own them, I can't. SNK owns them [or whichever company they've been sold to]. Still, I wish Kyo and Iori were both mine... AND Chris... *sigh*

The Blanket of the Night Sky

Reia Shiioru

It all started that day.

The sky was clear, the atmosphere silent, the only sound to be heard was the rustling of leaves as the wind softly lapped at it. He grinned, despite himself, fining the all-too-familiar figure of his long time crush just a distance away. He glided, then it turned into a full run, out loud shouting the other's name...

"Io-itai...!"

Crash.

A very nice, warm and needless to say, rude awakening to start his day. And of course, as realization dawned on him, he suddenly knew it was yet, just another lovesick puppy dream.

Kyo Kusanagi looked up at his archenemy-or more aptly, the love of his life.

"Go... gomen...," he stammered.

Iori Yagami stared at Kyo with the usual cold glint n his eyes. Those eyes Kyo had endlessly obsessed with. Though, it wasn't just the eyes.

"What do you want?" the redhead asked.

Kyo opened his mouth to say something, but standing too close to the Yagami - and not beating the hell out of each other - was too hard to handle. The taller man turned and started to walk away.

"Chotto matte!"

Kyo mentally kicked himself. /Dammit, you idiot./

Iori Yagami turned slowly, an eyebrow raised.

"I... I... I..."

"..."

"Iwanttohavethatdeathmatchyouvebeennaggingmeaboutalready!!!"

It took only a millionth of a second for Kyo to realize what he just did. He gave himself another mental kick. A smirk played on Iori's lips.

"Very well," Iori said, hatred dripping from his voice. "Where?"

Kyo kept silent, thinking. He really didn't want that death match thing. He wanted to tell Iori about that "funny feeling in his gut when he sees him" thing. And the only place he could think of right now was...

"Tokyo Tower. Tonight. 9p.m."

Kyo felt all hopes to catch the redhead Yagami burn to ashes with his own flames.

Iori then turned and left Kyo alone.

/Kyo Kusanagi.../ he thought to himself, /You are *so* dead.../

~*~*~*~

The sun was nearly setting as Kyo Kusanagi sat down on a bench and watched as the sun played tricks on the falling sakura.

"So... this is my last spring in Tokyo," he whispered to himself.

"Kyo-sama?" a familiar voice called from behind. Kyo turned around and saw one of the members of a popular band: CYS, if he remembered correctly, who also took part in the Tournament in '97.

"May I...?" The young brunette gestured to sit beside the older. Kyo just nodded. Chris sat down on the empty space beside Kyo.

Both fighters sat quietly, watching as the sakura fell from their branches and as the sun set in the horizon.

"Ne, Kyo-sama..." Chris broke the silence. "You seem a little out of it today... Is there a problem?"

Kyo absently said, "Yeah, there is a problem." And as always, realization hits him a split second later.

"I mean, a friend of mine has a problem and I'm kind of, um, affected by it because, uh, she's really depressed and all," Kyo covered up.

"I see," Chris nodded. "Could you tell me what her problem is? Maybe I could help... That is, if you don't mind...?"

Kyo thought for a while. /It wouldn't hurt if I told him... besides.../

Kyo nodded as the creative wheels in his head turned and formed a 'cover story'.

"Um," Kyo started, "You see, this friend of mine, she has a crush on, um, a punk-rocker type of guy—you know, the type that usually gets into trouble? She really likes this guy, but everyone else doesn't want him and her to get into a relationship, since she might get into trouble. They even think that guy's too wild. But she really likes this guy, even thought at times she'd got hurt because of him. She told me she didn't exactly mind that..."

/Yeah, that's true... And I wouldn't care if Iori would hurt me, as long as he... as long as.../

"...But then one day, instead of telling the guy how she felt about him, she tells him something else. The guy takes it the wrong way and now I think he's going to really hurt her this time. It might even lead to her death..." Kyo sighed as he ended his story.

"Ah, I see... Can I know the girl's name?" Chris asked.

Kyo thought Chris was *too* young to be his shrink. Careful not to spill any information, he quickly thought of a girl's name.

"Yuki."

"Yuki? But isn't that...?" Chris looked at Kyo with a puzzled look.

"No! This... this is a different Yuki," Kyo said immediately. He just had to say his deceased girlfriend's name... He kicked himself mentally for that.

"Oh, okay. How 'bout the guy?" Chris asked. Kyo was not expecting Chris to ask that question. He could just look at him and say, "Iori."

Too late.

Chris quirked up an eyebrow. "Iori?"

Kyo kicked himself mentally. Again. "No, what I meant was Shiori." /Kyo, you big baka./

"Sou ka..."

"..."

The sun gave its last rays, then fell behind the horizon, letting the stars shine in the darkened sky.

"Ne, Kyo-sama," Chris said, after a considerably long silence. "You don't have to worry. I'm sure things will work out just fine between you and Iori-sama. Just tell him how you really feel about him. Be sure to do that before he, uhm, does something really bad to you."

Kyo looked at Chris befuddled.

Chris chuckled. "It's not that obvious, but I get this all the time!" He smiled. "Especially when have Yashiro and Shermie around most of the time; it's actually not new to me. And you also looked like Yashiro when Shermie threatened to end their 'relationship'."

Kyo just sat there on the bench, dumbfounded. /Kyo no baka. Look at what you did?/ A voice nagged in his head. He slumped and sighed.

"Ii-jyan, daijoubu da yo, Kyo-sama," Chris reassured. "I'll know you'll do just fine."

/I certainly hope so.../ Kyo, still slouched, looked up and gazed at the distant stars.

~*~*~*~

Anxiety ruled over the Kusanagi as he climbed up the stairs to the Observation Deck of Tokyo Tower. It was still a good 2 hours before, well, before Iori 'brings him to his doom'. He ignored all the CYS Concert flyers being handed to him by those solicitors. He was too concerned about something else. Besides, he'd been given two tickets by Chris, who also told him to be there—with Iori.

*If* he'd be able to tell Iori how he really felt. Provided that Iori didn't finish him off after. One question still raced in his head. Would he be able to tell Iori how he really felt? Or would he screw everything up just as he did earlier?

Kyo reached the Observation Deck. Only a few people remained. He looked outside the glass: brightly lit Tokyo under a Full Moon. Would this be his last view? A sad city under the blanket of the night sky?

"You're here early," Kyo said as he felt the familiar presence behind him.

"As you are," came the answer. The older man stood beside Kyo, his hands in his pocket. "What are you doing here so early?

"I...I wanted to see Tokyo up here," Kyo said.

There was a long silence.

"Why here?" Iori asked finally. "It's too cramped in here. Plus, any resulting damage would—"

"It's the only place I could think of," Kyo said. He leaned on the window, face and hands pressed on the cold glass.

There was silence again as the two men watched the city. The time was 8:30.

"What are you doing Kusanagi?"

Kyo jumped. It had been too quiet and his mind had been too preoccupied to have noticed the Yagami beside him. "What?

"You're depressing yourself. You know you won't be able to fight well in that condition. What's wrong with you?" Iori, surprisingly to Kyo, sounded concerned—of course, never leaving that angry tone he always had. "Is it that you've accepted your defeat? Or is it something else?"

"No... no, it's not..." Kyo stared at the Yagami. At first he thought it was 'concern' written all over the Yagami's face. Nor was it anger. It was something else. Something he had not expected to see in the Yagami.

/Confusion?/ Kyo asked himself. /No, it couldn't be. It's not like him.../

But something inside—deep inside—him, he was sure. Kyo looked at Iori. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth. And then everything flowed on its own...

"Iori, I have something important to tell you."

A pair of dark red eyes turned to look at Kyo.

"Actually, I've wanted to tell you this a long time ago, but I never had the chance to." Kyo could feel Iori's eyes piercing through his body. He took another deep breath. "I never wanted this rivalry. I never wanted this feud. I don't care if this damn feud has been here since I-don't-care-what year. I don't care what our ancestors did. This is all stupid. It has to end... Now... Without bloodshed."

Iori crossed his arms. "What the hell is your point, Kusanagi?"

Kyo sighed. /I can do this... I have to... Before everything is over, I have to.../

"Iori... my point is..." Kyo took a deep breath and wished for the best.

"Iori... I love you."

=^_^=

Epilogue

Iori scowled at the red stains on his shirt.

/Feh, at least I didn't end up like that Kusanagi.../ Iori thought as he looked at where Kyo was—against the wall, slumped and limp like a rag doll, and... and... Iori shook his head. He didn't want to think about it right now. He'd just get rid of the damn stains later.

Iori walked over to where Kyo was. He leaned back at the same wall. He scowled at the dirty Kusanagi beside him, disgusted at the sight.

/Ch, Kyo could have done better,/ Iori thought. Then he smiled. /It was fun, though.../ A hand riffled through his hair.

"I feel sick."

Iori looked away.

"I want bed. The floor's killing me."

Iori sighed. "You need a bath. You smell too much of beer."

Kyo tugged at Iori's leather belt(the one which is always tied in between his legs). "Gimme one," he demanded. A hiccup followed.

Iori smiled. "C'mon. I'll carry you to the bathroom..."

"Can I have a bubble bath?"

= owari ^^ =

A/N: Wai~! My first ever KoF Fic!!! And it's Kyo/Iori!!! Wai~! The red stain? *shrugs* Wine? Anyhoo, I'd like to thank Rayne-chan (my seatmate in class) who grabbed my notebook one boring day and started to write on it. Thankfully, my head was full of Iori and Kyo, so I managed to grab my notebook back and do this fic. Thanks also to Lady Snowflake who gave the idea of the gangster/punk-rocker Iori thing. Really helped. Chris? What about him? I REALLY REALLY REALLY LIKE CHRIS. That's why I wanted him in this ficcie. HAH! Crazy meatbuns...

Anyway, R&R??