Chapter 2: No Place Like Home / Kyokugen Lifestyle

The wind was calm for the sunny afternoon. The clouds were spaced out to enjoyable extent and the sky shined a magnificent blue. South Town was finally silenced with only the humble sounds of children playing and the day was shaping up to be a beauty. If only life were as simple as today's weather.

"ANDY!" Mai shouted. Her anger was growing to an enormous extent and the younger Bogard could only sit and listen to the verbal punishment.

"Look Mai – "

"Don't Look Mai me buddy! I know what this is. You're trying to get rid of me aren't you?!"

"Mai – !"

"You want to be able to hang out with your buddies and do whatever you want so long as Mai isn't hanging around your shoulder. Is that it?!"

"But – "

"I can't believe you'd dump me for some blonde haired bimbo too!"

Andy didn't want to turn around to see Blue Mary's expression. Maybe she was laughing to hard to catch it like Terry and Joe were but knowing how women were, they hear everything and they always hold a grudge.

"Well, you see… Terry is my brother and – "

My saw Andy's clever ruse to confuse the conversation. Mai tilted her body away from Andy's view and stared at Terry. He was finally back. Yippee.

"Alright Andy," Mai calmed down a bit. "Fine, I'll sit this one out from your team."

Andy took a big sigh of relief. He was really surprised she calmed down this quickly. Usually after something like this she'd be following him around screaming Andy! Andy! and begging for a marriage proposal even though she already considered him her fiancé.

"But!" Mai interrupted raising her right index finger. Andy stood at attention looking deep into her eyes and awaited the catch.

"After this you owe me… BIG!" She insinuated. Andy knew this was going to cost him so he'd thought he'd just buck up and take it like a man. That's before he saw the hint she gave him.

She took the index finger from her right hand and then formulated a circle with her left. She calmly thrusted the right index finger into the left hole back and forth, back and forth. Andy was being mesmerized by this. It was almost hypnotic. He began to nod in acknowledgement of her terms. Then his brain finally kicked him in the eye as he watched what he agreed to.

Andy hit the floor.

His face turned pale, preaching zombie like qualities. He was in for it now. So much for keeping his training to just martial arts.

Mai walked towards Terry, a white fan in hand and began poking him in the chest. "Listen to me Terry. I know how much you love to play hero but you'd better make sure Andy comes back ok," Mai calmly orders with a violent glare in her eyes. "Because if anything happens to him… It'll cost you." And with that she took her right index finger and pretended to snap it like a twig.

Terry almost wanted to turn pale like his brother but he was more in control than that. He just gave Mai a happy smile and patted her on the shoulder.

"Don't worry Mai. We'll be alright," Terry reassured. Mai doesn't like the smirk of that Bogard since he always seems to get himself into trouble.

"Fine. Good luck you guys! See you at the finals!" Mai cheerily said as she skipped back into Master Jubei's house.

"How the hell can that girl change moods so fast?" Joe questioned. Terry just shrugged his shoulders and indicated to his kick boxing friend that they should pick up their half dead companion.

"Come on lover boy. We'll go back to my pad and you'll feel a lot better once we get some alcohol in you," Joe encouraged to Andy who is now half slung over his shoulder.

"Thrust… Thrust… In… Out… The… Impurity," Andy mumbled under his breath. Joe only heard what was needed to be and dragged him along a little quicker.

"Those guys…" Terry sighed. Speaking of sleeping provisions, Terry should start thinking of his own. "Hey Mary."

"Yea?"

"Is cool if I crash with you at your place?"

Mary didn't know what to say. She expected in her heart that something like this would present itself but not as non-chalant as Terry was putting on. So instead of some melodramatic giddy reply, she calmly accepted like she always would say to someone in need.

Especially Terry.

"Hey nice place you've got here," Terry complimented. Mary's apartment wasn't the dump she was proclaiming on the walk over here. He wanted to scope the place out from top to bottom but that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. It's been a long time since he's been in another woman's place. The smell is still familiar to his senses. His thoughts were drowned out by the sound of a dog barking.

"Hey Anton! Long time no see buddy." Terry began to pet the dog as his tail furiously wagged showing his excitement.

Mary tossed her equipment aside. She'd have to prepare the place for Terry's stay and it looked like it was going to be a pleasant one. Now she could finally give him back the glove that she'd been holding for what seemed like forever.

"Yo Mary!" Terry shouted. Mary stopped her momentary day dream and turned to face her new roommate.

"I'm going to step out for a bit, I'll be back before dinner time."

"But – "

"Later." And just like that. Terry was gone.

Mary sighed. She took out his glove from her pocket and dangled it in her hands. Anton soon came over and comforted her the best he could but dogs can't really understand the workings of a female heart.

The sounds of violence fill the shady streets of South Town. Night has already fallen upon the city and South Town's worst are beginning to appear and spread. In this case, one of the worst is being spread across one of the back alleys.

"Damn…" The thug cursed. He was getting his ass kicked. He had no idea who this guy was nor did he ever hear of the name Terry Bogard so he was screwed either way.

"See this kid? Where is he?"

"Piss off!" Cried the thug. He lunged forward, hoping to connect with one punch. Obviously it would have paid off to know who Terry Bogard was because he sure is punishing himself now.

The punch completely missed its intended target. Behind him, he saw a blue glowing light aimed right for his chest.

"Burn Knuckle!"

The thug collapsed on a nearby wall. He left a small indentation of his backside on the brick surface. Terry approached his fallen adversary, photo well in hand.

"I'm looking for this kid. People say you've got connections… Talk."

The thug spit out a few of his fallen teeth. "I don't know… The kid. But… Word is… There's a guy… Another guy… Looking for him."

"Who…?" Terry asked, grabbing the beaten opponent, "WHO?!"

"K – K – Kain…" That was all the thug got out before he passed out.

"Shit!" Terry cursed in the wind. He took off his cap and tucked the photo back inside where it had sat for the longest time. There was no use searching in South Town. His only resource told him the same information he'd been getting in every town.

His cap quickly found a way to his head and took off into the darkness. Another night down and the search continues. It seemed pointless to look for information in this place at this time of day but that was beside the point. All that mattered was the search.

Terry decided to call it a night. No use searching in a dead road. Plus he didn't want to impose on Mary's kindness. It wouldn't be polite showing up at odd hours of the night.

That didn't matter on this night. Hidden behind a dumpster, Blue Mary watched the whole ordeal go down and now she was full of questions. She can't confront him here in the streets. It'll have to wait until he got back to her place.

*Knock* * Knock*

Mary quickly rushed over to answer the door. Surely enough, Terry had returned with a bag of junk food in his hands. Mary sighed at the sight, wondering how a junk food junkie could be in such great shape but that could be set aside for the moment. She had a few questions that needed to be answered.

Terry plopped himself on the couch and began diving into his bag of meat, potatoes, and grease. With a burger in one hand and a pack of fries in the other he pointed towards Mary. "Want some?"

Mary stood back a bit and declined. She could image what those extra calories would do to her figure but still was puzzled that Terry could eat so much and still look as good as ever. Especially that tight butt.

What am I thinking?! Mary cursed in her mind. She was eye humping a guy who was knee deep in fast food. Never mind that, she wanted to seriously talk with Terry and she took a seat to the opposite side of the grease consuming fighter.

"Um… Terry?"

"Yea?" He replied after swallowing a big bite of his double chili cheeseburger.

"Well… I was wondering… You know, where you've been all this time."

Terry took a swig of his soda, "I've been around. Bouncing from town to town. You know? The usual."

"But you never contacted us?"

"Well, I thought it would be best if I got off on my own for a while."

"But I thought! - I mean, we all thought you were dead."

This caused Terry to stop his food consumption and look Mary dead in the eyes.

"It'll take more than a building collapsing to stop me!" Terry joked. Mary was getting a bit frustrated.

"I've been worried sick about you for 10 months and all you can do is kid around?!" Mary snapped catching Terry a bit off guard. He really didn't know what to say to that. I mean, he was Terry, the Lone Wolf Bogard for a reason.

Terry took off his cap and wiped the sweat off of his forehead. The place was getting a bit too warm for his taste. Before he could place it back on his head the photo he was carrying popped out.

Terry could feel the photo wasn't in his hat anymore but now in the conveying hands of his roommate.

"Who's this?"

"Oh him… He's a friend I've been taking care of."

Mary examined the photo thoroughly. He was an 11 year old kid with short blonde hair and an orange shirt. His face resembled someone she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"What's his name?"

"Rock."

"He's a cute kid. Where is he now?"

Terry didn't respond to that immediately. He calmly took the photo back and placed it in his hat.

"He's with some friends I know."

That was a lie.

Mary didn't say anything. Now was probably the time to give him his glove back. She walked over to her bedroom and picked up the black finger glove that sat next to her green jacket.

Butch… What should I do now?

She walked back to the living room. Terry was completely out of commission. He placed his hat over his face and fell into a light snore. She took the glove back into her room and collapsed on her bed.

This was a great start.

"I don't feel comfortable in this Master Sakazaki," King responded. The baggy grey colored gi she donned didn't exactly suit her fighting style, nor did it highlight her figure.

"Comfort is not a necessity in training. To fully be able to master a technique or skill you need to practice it in harsh environments. Then after the skill is mastered, performing it in more comfortable environments will be second nature," Takuma responded. There was no use fighting it now, she was stuck.

King didn't even know why she agreed to stay with the Sakazakis. She usually would take care of her training in the morning when her bar was closed and even get in a few fights at night when the bar was open. Maybe she was intrigued by the fact that she was going to study with a real Karate master. Or maybe it was her coincidental roommate.

"RYO!" Takuma called out to the backyard. He saw his son practicing his Kohou uppercut on one of the tree branches. After hearing his fathers order's he quickly heeded to his request.

"Sir!"

"I want you to kick King in the center mass."

"Yes sir!"

Ryo spun his leg around and shot forward a front thrust kick. King lifted her left leg and easily blocked the attack. She barely even felt it.

"Good. Now, Ryo I want you to attack King in the face."

"Yes Sir!"

"And King, I want you to block it with your arms it."

King nodded but she was feeling a bit nervous. Her arms weren't the strong point on her body so she would just have to hope that Ryo's attack wasn't a vicious one.

Ryo's fist came flying forward; King had just enough time to notice that it was the Kyokugen standard fierce punch.

"Ahhh!" King screamed as she was shot backward. Her balance was easily taken away by a single blow.

"King! Oh geese I'm sorry!" Ryo tried to help King up but Takuma stopped him.

"You're kick boxing is a powerful offensive style but as far as defense you're very weak," Takuma noted.

King's arm twitched. The pain was still pretty bad even though she blocked the shot. She started to get up and Takuma continued his analysis.

"If you are going to improve your fighting ability you must improve your defense," Takuma stated. He then walked over to the back of the dojo where he had a set of free weights and grabbed a pair of weighted arm cuffs.

"Here," Takuma said while draping King's arms in the weight cuff. "These will teach you defense," he ended while dripping King's arms and letting the weights hang free.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" King shouted as her hands fell to the ground. "How much do these things weigh?!" She panted.

"50 pounds each," Takuma nodded. "Now the training will begin."

King sighed. She could barely keep her arms up. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Takuma grab a kendo stick. He approached her, slightly smacking the stick in the palm of his free hand and giving a little smirk.

This was going to be a long day.

"Owowow!" King pouted. Ryo submerged her hands in a vat of warm water and a special skin healing solution that would relinquish and bruises and slightly harden the skin.

"It hurts…" She let out after her arms were finally soaked in the solution. Ryo mentally chuckled a bit. Even though she put up a tough front, she can be such a girl sometimes.

"Sorry about that… My dad is serious when it comes to training."

"Man, if I feel this bad now I wonder how you must have felt all those years."

Hmm, personal insight. "Nah, you get used to it after a while."

"I bet – OW!" She cringed. "What's going on?! My arms are tingling!"

Ryo started laughing. "Don't worry. That's just the solution seeping into the pores of your skin," he chuckled some more.

King flashed a tiny blush. She didn't like being embarrassed but this was in front of Ryo; someone she really cared for and he was laughing. Typical male.

"Sorry King…" Ryo calmed down, "It's just that I didn't know you could be so girly."

That's it. King was in full, tomato juice colored face mode. It wasn't that he laughed at her or exactly what he said but just the thought that he noticed her as a woman instead of a fighter. She really didn't know how to react.

Ryo could see how King reacted. Best if he changed the subject.

"Ryo! King! Dinner will be prepared in five minutes!" Yelled Takuma from the kitchen.

"That sounds really good right now. I don't know if I had any calories left," King added.

Ryo cringed in his mind. He knew what kind of 'stew' his father was cooking up but it wasn't anything King was going to like. It tasted like his gi after a weekend in the mountains. He could warn her now but its best to leave an anticipating woman with her hopes instead of shooting down her dreams and making the day worse.

Then again. He was talking about his dad's famous 'Protein Rich Muscle Boosting Soup'. No man has ever walked the same way again after trying it. As for women, it still remains untested.

"Hey, the tingling stopped," King happily exclaimed. She lifted her hands from the mixture and let the remaining liquid flow back into the pan. Ryo took a towel and dried her arms for her.

"You don't have to – "

"It's alright. If you don't do it just right, it won't be as effective."

That was a lie. He just wanted to make sure that King didn't have any permanent injuries. This was probably the first time she had a training session as hard as that.

"Dinner is served!" Takuma declared. Ryo and King got sat down at the table and before they new it, soup was on.

"Here! Takuma's awesome 'Protien Rich Muscle Boosting Soup'!" Stated the Kyokugen master. King was the first one with her spoon up and she dove right in.

She will forever regret that decision.

It wasn't that the soup tasted bad. It's just that it's the exact opposite of taste nirvana. Swallowing it proved to be just as difficult and she hoped that no one was noticing.

A gander over at Ryo showed a bit of a different perspective. The bowl was almost about to be consumed along with the soup. Ryo looked like he was loving it. She admired him for that but she still had to deal with the fact that the spoon was still in her mouth.

Ryo dropped the bowl on the table. He gave a relieving sigh and smiled at King. The spoon had fallen from her mouth and landing right back in the bowl of soup.

He had a clothespin attached to his nose.

Why that?! King thought. She looked over at Takuma who was just about finished with his bowl and saw the exact same sight.

"But – But?"

"Takuma's awesome 'Protien Rich Muscle Boosting Soup' is not famous for its taste," Takuma noted. She was too tired to even notice her own personal clothespin sitting in front of her bowl. She'll never forget that taste. She'll need a double dose of mouthwash tonight.

King's stomach grumbled pretty badly. She was going to have to adjust to this new lifestyle but it certainly wasn't going to start tonight. Not if her stomach had anything to say about it.

It was getting pretty late, almost midnight but King found that sleep was still a distant star. Her body was exhausted and her mind completely empty of all thoughts but sleep. There was just something that she couldn't put her finger on.

*VROOM!*

King shot up. What was that?! She got up from her mattress and headed toward where the sound came from.

She soon found herself in the Sakazaki garage. Working diligently, Ryo was fine tuning his motorcycle and giving it some routine maintenance. There was only thing different from him now was that his shirt was not on his body.

King pulled back. She was real uncomfortable seeing a guy like this, especially Ryo. It wasn't the fact that he was shirtless, Lord knows how many drunks forget what proper fashion dictates but this was different. This comes along the lines of peaking in the boy's locker room and that was a mental crime. Especially since she was going to be living with this guy for the next 2 months.

"Oh King!" Ryo called out.

Shit! Busted! King was sloppy because she was lost in Ryo's rippling muscles. No! No! No! Talk to him, or he'll think you're peeping.

"H – Hey Ryo," Ok it wasn't the slickest response but it would have to make due. Time to change the subject, "What are you doing?"

"Oh… I'm just tweaking my bike."

"I see. Why so late?"

"Oh. Well, when King of Fighters rolls around, most of my day is spent training. I can only do this sort of thing real late at night. I'm sorry if I woke you up."

"Oh no! That's alright!" She defended. "I hadn't fallen asleep yet."

"Speaking of which, what's keeping you up?"

"Oh… I don't know."

"Dad's special stew?"

Now that she thought about it, her stomach was still feeling a little awry but that wasn't it.

"No. It's just. Well, I'm a bit uncomfortable."

"I see. I should talk to dad. You shouldn't have to stay here if you don't want to."

"That's not it!" She snapped back. "It's because. Well, I – I – ," King found herself stuttering again just like before with Yuri. She wanted to look in Ryo's eyes but his reaction was a bit different. He was blushing pretty badly.

"Ryo?"

"Um… King? It's… It's kind of cold in here. You know?" Ryo observed. King had no idea where he came up with that. Was it because he was checking out her body? She had picked out a pretty tight pair of pajamas.

No Ryo wasn't like that but she decided to inspect her garments anyways, just in case. He was a guy of course.

Down below her next she could see that the top button was undone but it wasn't revealing anything. The trouble was at the top of the hills where she could see two tiny mountains forming. He was right, it was cold in here.

"KIYAAAAH!" King screamed while throwing her arms across her chest. She took in a blaze of speed. Ryo didn't even get the chance to apologize.

"Oy…" Ryo sighed. He collapsed over his bike and took another deep breath. His bike would have to wait another day. Better to get the night over with as soon as possible.

(Author Notes: Ok, here's the true introduction to the story. I finished this a lot quicker than I thought I would. I might have Chapter 3 done on Wednesday but I think I'll wait for 1 or 2 more reviews. I don't like working on a lost cause and I would appreciate any comments given. Also, if the grammar seems a bit shotty, that's because I usually finish the chapters late at night. Plus I don't have any pre readers. Well, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and I hope you'll stick around for the grand finale.)