Chapter 6: Worth Fighting For / Emotional Workout
2 Weeks Until the King of Fighters Tournament
The air was crisp; cool even. Not a single distinguishable smell in the distance. A small breeze entered through the window. The surrounding area was calm and an overall feeling of serenity blanketed the perception. This was a wonderful place to be.
Terry opened his eyes. It hurt. The contacting air brushed against his pupils for the first time in a long time. He let out a sigh. That hurt too. Movement also proved to be painful. His strength was nearly depleted and he felt like he'd just woke up from a long nap after losing a fight with a bulldozer.
A fight… MARY!
Terry sprang up from his bed. Bad move. His body cringed at the sudden action and he made a mental not to do it again. After the pain subsided, he started looked around the room.
This is Mary's apartment.
He remembered the last time he was in here and he swore never to come here again. That was short lived. The place was quite but he could swear he heard the sound of boiling water in the room ahead. Moving wasn't an option. It hurt to do anything but lay there and even that was a test of his endurance.
Terry checked out his body. There were bandages everywhere. His jacket, hat, and glove sat on a chair. There were no signs of any damage.
Was that a dream? Terry thought. He heard footsteps coming towards the door and it immediately swung open.
Mary looked inside and saw that Terry was up and awake.
Silence.
The mood was definitely uncomfortable for both sides. Terry looked her in the eyes and saw the feelings boil up inside her.
"Oh… Y – You're up."
Ok, not exactly the best way to break the ice but there wasn't anything else they could do or say to make it any easier. She wanted to grab him and squeeze him until her arms fell off but the reality was that he was still injured. She also wanted to talk with him about how stupid he was for doing what he was doing but that's something that he wouldn't want to hear while recuperating.
"I'll – I'll be right back," she said while closing the door. Terry was still a little jittered. The atmosphere was just too weird.
Before long, Mary walked in with bedroom eating tray and a bowl of soup still steaming indicating its freshness.
"Here, eat this…" She said. She placed the tray over Terry. "You're probably very hungry."
Terry didn't say anything. His stomach was growling but it was his mind that was hungry. He slowly started to consume the stew, keeping the pain to a minimum. Mary watched carefully. She could see the pain in his eyes after each movement.
"I'll… I'll be back in a little bit."
Mary shut the door behind her and leaned against it. She let out a sigh and thanked the gods above for waking him up.
*RIIIIIING*
The telephone screamed as hard as it could. Mary reached over and picked it up.
"Hello?"
It was King…
"Hey, how's it going?"
She seemed out of it.
"Real good actually. He just woke up."
Wow… I didn't expect her to be that excited.
"Yea I know…"
I wonder if she's ok over there. She seemed to calm down now.
"No. We – We haven't really talked yet."
She's so considerate.
"No. I'm fine for now. I'll call you later today if anything else happens."
She's such a good friend.
"Alright. Take care King."
*CLICK*
Mary hung up the phone. King had been so helpful over the week. She'd come over to watch Terry at night when Mary went out to gather information and even bought the materials Mary needed to sew Terry's clothes back together. Mary was very grateful to her.
It was quite over in the bedroom. Terry must be finished Mary thought to herself and slowly walked in.
Her intuition is correct. Terry's bowl was empty. She reached over to pick it up but Terry grabbed her hand.
"Ah!" Mary snapped. That caught her off guard. Terry's had wasn't it, it was still fairly weak but his speed was phenomenal.
Terry let go. He didn't know what to say but maybe she'd get the message that he didn't want her to leave.
Mary looked at Terry's eyes. They were shallow and almost closed together. His lips didn't show a single sign of emotion. What is wrong with him?
"Terry… I – I'm – I'm sorry…" She spoke. It was very soft; she didn't want to disrupt the calm order of things.
Terry looked up at her. Her face must have looked like his. The silence was making the situation more tense. Say something stupid!
"Mary… I," Terry coughed. She wanted him to speak but if it was going to be too painful for him it was better if she talked first.
"Shhhhh…" Mary said while covering Terry's mouth with one finger. "I… I'm sorry for spying on you all those times. It's just that… It's just that I worry. I worry about you Terry. If something ever happened to you again like last year I – " Tears started forming around her eyes.
Terry took her hand in his. She looked up at him and saw his face changed for the better. The tears were beginning to subside.
"I'm sorry I brought you into this Mary…"
She pulled back a bit but didn't let go of his hand.
"I'll leave as soon as I can. I won't even compete in King of Fighters this year."
"What? Terry no!"
Huh? What is she saying? Terry pondered to himself.
"Terry. I'm not upset anymore. I looked into what you were doing."
What?! What does she know?
Mary showed him a file folder. She opened it up and there was a picture of Rock. Not the picture that Terry carried but another that was of much better quality.
"Rock Howard. Son of former underground crime boss and King of Fighter's champion Geese Howard. Age eight. Last known whereabouts: South Town."
Terry looked in shock. She'd done her research but she probably has a lot more questions than that.
"Why?"
"Huh?" Terry said but it came out more like 'Mugh'.
"Why are you looking for Geese Howard's son?!" She sparked. It may have come out louder than she expected.
"I… I… I feel for the kid."
"What?"
"He… He didn't have anyone. When I found him he was all alone. Just like me. So I took care of him. I showed him around and taught him how to survive. Then he…" Terry stopped. It seemed very hard for him to talk about it so Mary massaged his hand mentally telling him he didn't have to continue.
"Terry… I didn't know."
"It's ok. There's nothing you really could have said or done."
"But I still don't understand… Why did you keep me out of it?"
Terry let out a sigh. His lungs still hurt on every inhale and exhale but he went on. "I'd never forgive myself if you were laying here in this bed instead of me."
Mary smiled. She took Terry's hand and placed it on her check. It was warm.
"Terry… You're always so protective except of your own well being."
Terry rubbed his thumb against Mary's cheek. She was so soft and by the looks of it, very fragile. Especially her heart.
"You should rest Terry."
"I know…"
Mary looked at him with an inquisitive stare, "Can… Can I ask you something Terry?"
Terry looked at her with his eyebrows raised. "Yes Mary?"
"Was… Was it worth fighting for?"
Terry dropped one eyebrow. Even that hurt.
"Was it worth fighting for someone else? Even… Even knowing you might get hurt or even worse?"
Terry thought long and hard. He knew the answer but he didn't want it to come out as if he was mocking Mary. "I'd do it again and for the rest of my life if I could. That is the only way I know how to live."
He lives for others but he's all alone. How sad… Mary thought. "I'll let you rest."
She said that but neither of them moved an inch. This moment was too perfect. That was just before Terry's stomach rumbled shaking his whole body.
"Ahhhhh!" He jittered grabbing his stomach.
"Terry!" Mary cried.
"It's alright… It's just my stomach."
Mary calmed down. His stomach was just rumbling. He must be real hungry. That idiot!
Mary startled chuckling. "I see someone is still hungry. I'll be right back." Mary got up and took Terry's empty bowl but he was still full of questions.
"Mary…?"
"Yea Terry?"
"Why are you doing this… For me?"
Mary didn't know what to say. She couldn't believe it wasn't that obvious. Maybe it was time for her to take a little rip into Terry. See how he'd like it for a while. Only this time, she wouldn't lie.
"Why?" She cutely asked. "Because I love you silly…"
And then she left the room not evening wanted to see Terry's expression.
Terry was pale. He hadn't felt that way in a long time. Since a certain teal-haired woman left his life. His body didn't hurt anymore. It was all focused on one specific point. He didn't like this pain. It was the pain of wanting something or more specific, someone you couldn't have. It was the only thing that kept his nickname Terry 'The Lone Wolf' Bogard.
He liked Mary. He liked her a lot but he didn't know if he loved her. Love had always been something that escaped Terry. Sure he loved his brother but he kept his distance from him. Someone he cared for deeply always got hurt and he was much better off on his own. At least that's what his mind told him.
MARY WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST DO?! Her mind screamed. She was pretty surprised herself. Her heart smashed against her chest and kept beating like a hammer.
Calm down… You did this to yourself!
True. Mary crossed the line into Terry's turf and she couldn't hack it. Even if it was only one swing. She quickly ran over to fill the bowl. If she slowed down even for a second Terry might think there's something wrong. For all he knows, I might be joking she tried to convince herself.
She was a terrible liar.
Mary walked into the bedroom. Terry was still sitting up but his head was lowered. She didn't get a chance to see his face after all. Mary placed the bowl right in front of Terry. Big mistake.
Terry grabbed her hand. It scared her but not as bad as it did the first time. There was something different about him. His hand was trembling.
"Terry…?" She whispered. Something was wrong with him. Is he sick?
She took her hand and lifted to see Terry's face. Shock immediately took over. He was smiling.
"Ter – " but before Mary could say anything else, her lips were locked. Terry wrapped his warmth around hers and kissed her with the saved up passion he had for the last several years of his life.
"ry?" She finished after the kiss was broken. He kept smiling at her.
"It took you long enough," he joked.
"Oh Terry," she sobbed and squeezed Terry tight. He knew she'd feel bad if he cringed in pain but he let it subside. He knew it was a stretch for him and Mary but he didn't really care. He may not have been in love with Mary but he was still trying to figure out what real love is. At least now he had a partner.
"Haaaaaaaaaaagh…." Andy hissed. The forest was silent at night but extremely deadly to those who took it lightly. His meditation had just finished. He remained silent for the entire day focusing his body. He felt very confident in his abilities.
"Geki Hishouken!" Andy cried while releasing a bright ball of ki. His arm remained still and firm. The blast lasted a good ten seconds.
Andy was pleased. His training had proved to be very effective. There wasn't much time left until King of Fighters so he was getting all that he could in the last remaining weeks he had left. There was no way he was going to let up now.
"Huh?" Andy felt a sudden chill up his spine. The wind was calm, the temperature was normal only a few minutes ago. Andy focused his senses on his ears. He could hear something blowing but it wasn't the wind.
Andy leaped backwards. A fragment of a light blue rock hit the spot where his body once was. He looked closely at his former meditating plateau and saw that the grass had frozen over.
Ice?
He heard a ruffling in the bushes. Andy broke into his Shiranui fighting stance. There was plenty of reason to be prepared. His unknown attacker didn't bother showing himself before starting the fight.
A girl slowly appeared from the location of the noise. She was covered in a purple leather suit, had a blue glove on one wrist and light blue hair.
Who is she? Andy thought. That didn't change his stance one bit. In fact, he made a mental to make it more serious.
"Hello Mr. Bogard."
She knows me?! This is too weird.
"Who are you?!" Andy asked. It actually came out sounding more like an order.
"I was told you could help me find someone."
Find someone me? Was she after Mai? Or worse, Terry?!
"Who are you?!" He asked again remaining firm.
"Terry Bogard, you have information I require."
Terry? She thinks I'm Terry?!
"I have nothing to say to you."
"So be it," she calmly ended. A bolt of ice shot from her palms. Andy barely had time to react. He leaped into the air and easily shot up seven or eight feet. There was no way this girl was going to let up after already setting up the initial strike. Andy was going to have to go all out.
"Zaneikan!" He cried as his elbow flew downwards. She was still recovering from her attack. The first strike would go to Andy Bogard.
Andy felt his elbow collide into a hard substance. He wasn't gullible, he knew his attack was blocked but he didn't hit any flesh. A glass like substance sprayed forward at him leaving little cuts and slashes all over his arm.
What the? Ice?
His opponent was more clever than he thought. She had speed and strength. He'd need to try something different to overcome her.
She took a few steps back and covered her mouth with her hand.
Was she taunting me?
Andy mentally rubbed the pain out of his mind. He had to keep up his offense or be prepared to face dire consequences.
"Zaneikan!"
The female assassin blew a kiss at Andy.
Oh no!
Andy's feet froze. He was locked in place. His legs were completely immobile as she approached him with a face that showed no expression at all.
Her gloved hand danced the element of water. It quickly froze and formed a solid metal object. A knife.
Andy had experience dealing with disarming opponents but not while remaining stationary. He had to break free. If he stayed there, it would cost him his life.
"KACHOUSEN!"
A fan came flying out from behind Andy and struck the knife, instantly shattering it.
"HURRICANE UPPER!"
The female assailant was swarmed by a gust of wind and was shot back into a nearby redwood. The tree shook taking in the resistance.
"SLASH KICK!"
Joe Higashi flew from behind a pile of trees. His left foot was a bolt of lighting and struck Andy's attacker and she let out a painful cough.
"Andy!" Mai called running from behind Andy. She smashed the ice that imprisoned him with the sole of her shoe.
"Mai, what are you doing here?! Stay back!" He ordered pushing Mai away.
"Mess with my buddy uninvited," Joe declared. "That is totally not cool! SCREW –!"
A whip came out and slashed Joe in the face and again in the body. The quickness easily halted Joe's attack. He tumbled backwards and smacked a standing rock.
"Joe!" Mai called out. She saw the whip that attacked him come straight for her.
"AH!" She screamed. She shut her eyes and heard the whip slap against human flesh and then silenced.
Upon opening her eyes Mai saw the whip locked around Andy's arm. He gave it a tug and released it from its owner.
"Who are you?" Andy called out. Another female entered from where the last one sat against the tree. She was wearing a very peculiar costume that was mostly white and her hair was done rather obscurely.
"Kula. That is not Terry Bogard. That is Andy Bogard," she stated.
The girl known as Lula got up from where she was slammed against as if she wasn't even hit at all.
"Come on Lula. Let us be on our way."
Both women took off as if there was nothing wrong. Andy didn't like it one bit.
"Andy…" Mai whispered. Her heart was pounding and the adrenaline didn't look like it was going to subside anytime.
Andy didn't want to say anything to Mai. He still was questioning what that girl wanted with Terry. He'd seen that glove before but he couldn't put his finger on it. Mai was being a bit pushy since she hadn't let go of his arm since she got here.
"Mai, why are you here?!" Andy asked with a bit of unpleasantness in his tone.
"A – Andy?"
"This is dangerous. You shouldn't be out here!"
"But – But you were in trouble…"
"Yea, Andy. We already have one Lone Wolf in the group. It'd be kind of cliché if there were two," Joe tossed his two cents in.
Andy didn't have a response. There wasn't really anything he was upset about with Mai or Joe. He'd just thought about what kind of trouble Terry got into during his year absence. Andy was going to look for Terry and find out was going on.
King did her morning warm up stretches. She wasn't working out today but it was best to remain limber. Something else was on her mind today but it wasn't the only thing. Mary was still very distraught after what happened with Terry. She definitely wasn't herself in the last week but who could blame her? She'd practically seen Terry ripped apart by Iori Yagami and he'd been unconscious ever since. Life wasn't going great on her end.
That wasn't the same on King's end. Well, sort of. Ryo had been gone for the last two weeks and she had to admit, she missed him. But now after seeing what Mary went through with Terry, she didn't want to see herself on that side. Takuma mentioned exercising the heart was difficult but that wasn't training at all. That was just unbearable.
King picked up the phone. All this thought about what was going on made her want to know how things were turning out. She dialed Mary's number.
She seems tired.
"Hi Mary, this is King."
Still no progress I guess.
"Same old. How is Terry doing?"
I hope I'm not being insensitive asking right away.
"REALLY?! That's great!"
Mary must be feeling good now.
"I'm glad to hear it. Has he said anything?"
That was pretty bad of me to be excited.
"Oh I see. Well, I wouldn't worry about it. He must be so exhausted. Would you like me to come over there and give you a hand?"
Mary's been going through so much.
"I see. Well, I'll call you later. Please tell me if anything else goes on."
I'll leave her alone. This will be a difficult time for her.
"Bye Mary."
*CLICK*
King let out a sigh. Her friend and former teammate was practically a zombie. She sounded exhausted. Probably due to sleep deprivation. King couldn't blame her. She'd probably be a depressed wreck to if –.
If it were Ryo instead of Terry…
King didn't respond to that. She didn't care frankly. Over the past week she'd made it a mental note to phase out Ryo and any emotions she had for him beyond their friendship. She didn't want to go through what Mary was swimming in right now.
"Good morning King," Takuma called. King turned around and saw the Kyokugen Master enter the living room.
"Good morning sir," she said in a small voice. She'd been talking like that all week. At first Takuma was worried about it but took it under his own personal assumption that she was having some emotional problems. Probably involving his son.
"Ryo's coming back today," Takuma noted, "Are you sure you want to see him wearing that."
King looked at herself. She was still in her pajamas. She didn't move at first but after a weird stare from Takuma, she went back to her room to change.
Takuma chuckled. Looks like her heart is going to get a work out today.
King got undressed. She was still feeling a bit insecure so she searched through her bag for the least feminine set of clothes.
After about five minutes of sprawling her outfits all over her room, she had found nothing that would suit her requirements.
Damnit! She screamed in her mind making double sure not to say anything aloud. The only garment she had that made her the least unappealing was her new suit she was saving for King of Fighters. Sally and Elizabeth bought it for her during her last birthday and she was waiting for a special occasion to wear it.
Not today!
She placed back into her bag and grabbed a set of casual clothes that would be more appropriate to wear in her current situation. Before she put them on she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror.
Wow… She thought to herself. All she was just wearing were her silk bra and panties. She knew it wasn't going to help her 'man' image but she couldn't help it when it came to personal comfort.
Am I really… Beautiful?
Ryo thinks so.
There goes her inner voice again. She'd just figured out how to silence it and here it was again. Here comes a long battle. Instead of commenting on the last mental lash she looked at her body more.
I've got a nice figure.
Training all those years slimmed you down.
Hmm… She thought. This was the first time her inner voice wasn't being a bitch.
I bet Ryo would get a kick out of that sight.
King blushed. Shut up! Ryo wouldn't care about that.
Playing hard to get. You'll only make it harder later.
Harder for what?! I don't need anything for him.
Yes you do.
What?! Do I really desire to stay up late hours of the night worrying about whether he'll live or die?!
No… You want to.
What?! You're crazy.
Think about it. The only reason you were worried about Mary is because you were jealous.
Jealous?!
Yes. Jealous. She has someone to love and you don't.
King was silent. She didn't have anything to say to that.
You want to worry about Ryo. Be there for him when he's hurt. Hold him whenever he's down.
No… She tried to deny.
But you're afraid. You're afraid of being rejected.
Huh? I'm… I'm not afraid!
What did I already tell you about denying it? Why don't you just go with your heart?
Because… Because I hate men! She screamed. I hate them because they treated me awful for my entire life. The laughed at me when I was down and tortured me in the ring for being a woman!
Ryo didn't do any of those things.
He did at first.
What was he supposed to do? You looked like a pretty convincing male.
She couldn't disagree with that.
Are you afraid that if Ryo rejects you you'll become that same girl again? Hiding her face behind the mask of a man.
Yes…
But if someone was going to hurt you that way, wouldn't you want it to be Ryo?
King stood pondering her course of action. There wasn't anything she wanted more that Ryo's attention.
No…
No?
NO!
Why?
I'd rather live a life alone that have to experience that kind of pain! Better to be alone and happy than risk your emotions on a gamble!
…
King smiled. Her inner voice was silenced. She threw her clothes on and headed for the kitchen to whet her appetite. Then a sour feeling entered her stomach.
The mochi!
King bolted down the stairs. It caught Takuma off guard. He was standing in the living room watching the local news brief about the King of Fighters Tournament and its latest developments.
She must be really excited.
She finally reached the kitchen when she was completely blind sighted at the scene before her.
"Hey King! How's it going?" Ryo asked.
"I – I – I…" Stop stuttering and say something! "Um… Hey Ryo. I didn't expect you back this early."
"I skipped breakfast so I could snack here. Hey!" Ryo's eyes glowed when he opened the refrigerator and saw his favorite snack waiting for his return.
No! Don't! King said to herself. It was too late.
Ryo took the plate and put it on the table. "Hey there's a note here." He began to read it out loud.
For Ryo: Please Enjoy This Treat. And then there was a heart shaped symbol at the very bottom.
A smile touched Ryo's lips. He looked over at King. "Yo King!"
"Yes!" She said standing at attention. She'd been caught and didn't know how to escape from the cage.
"Was my sister Yuri over here recently?"
Your sister? "Yea… She was here last week."
"Oh really. Remind me to thank her for the mochi." And then Ryo began consuming.
WHAT?! I was the one – .
Feeling pretty bad aren't you. I thought you didn't care about Ryo?
I don't! It's just that I believe in giving credit where credit is do.
Well are you going to stand there like a dummy or are you going to say something?
King remained frozen. She'd wait to see what Ryo's reaction was.
"Wow! These are great!" Ryo commented while shoving another in his mouth. "Yuri must have changed the recipe or something."
Why that?!
You'd like to be the one receiving the compliments?
Yes…
"Mmmmm… That was great!" Ryo said licking his fingers. His plate was completely empty. Not a grain of rice was spared in Ryo's quest for hunger.
Ryo took his plate and washed it in the sink. He looked over at the corridor and saw King hadn't moved an inch.
"Hey King… Are you alright?"
"…" King opened her mouth but nothing came out.
You're real smooth.
"Shut up!"
Heh heh heh… Nice going.
"King?" Ryo asked kind of rattled after her last outburst.
"Leave me alone!" And then King bolted back up the stairs. Ryo's eyebrow sprouted from its resting position and looked over at his dad.
"Was it something I said?" Ryo asked.
"No, it was something you didn't say."
Ryo chuckled a bit. "You think I was being a little bit too rough on her."
Takuma joined his son's laughter. "I would think so. You know very well Yuri has never made a batch of mochi in her life."
"I know… I'm glad that I caught that bakery chef before he moved inside the stadium."
"Were you giving her mochi a bit too much credit?"
"No… They were the best I ever had."
"Then I think it would be right for you to go upstairs and apologize. She must be taking it pretty hard."
"I know father. But if I do, will she be getting the proper exercise?"
Takuma grinned from ear to ear. Ryo had done a similar stunt like this to Yuri while she was in training. If he hadn't, she would never have escalated to her current level. Ryo did it out of love, not for fun.
"You are speaking like a true master Ryo."
"Thank you father."
"Speaking of which, how did your exercise go?"
It was Ryo's turn to grin. "Fine father… Just fine."
THAT JERK! King screamed while tossing her pillow across the other side of the room. She was mad. She was furious. Ryo completely blew her off and didn't even apologize.
How can he apologize for something he didn't do?
You're not helping!
How can I? You ignore everything I tell you.
That doesn't give you the right to make me yell at Ryo!
Why not?! I'm you! Aren't you mad at him?
King calmed down a bit. She was definitely mad but not as much as she thought.
Aren't you getting the picture yet?
What? Please enlighten me.
Look at yourself. You're already in a position like Mary only you're holding back.
What are you talking about?
You're furious but if I weren't here to calm you down, you might have already broken down and cried your body dry.
No… No I wouldn't.
Fine, then I'll leave you alone. Ciao!
What?! Wait!
Silence. King didn't want to be like this. She was a fighter and a damned good one. She didn't care about love and romance. If any problem came around she could use the universal problem solver and that was that.
King stood up and threw on her training gi. She had enough sitting around and worrying about her personal problems. She had too much riding on this tournament and she couldn't let up an inch.
A glance at the mirror revealed everything she wanted to see. She was fit, tough, and ready to go. She looked deep into her own eyes and smirked.
I'm not beautiful. I'm viscous!
That was enough for her. She was ready to go.
"Ow!" She cried. Her eye gave her a bad itch and immediately took care of it with a few finger rubs. A look back at the mirror revealed a different image.
A tear? She saw one sliding its way down her face and barely reached her lips before she smacked it off of her face.
A coincidence! It was purely a coincidence!
"Prepare yourself Sakazaki!"
"Huh?" Ryo pondered. What the?
"TORNADO KICK!"
King's legs swept through empty air. Ryo had swayed away from her deadly foot and hopped backwards to give him a better position.
"King?! What are you doing?"
"I'm here to fight you Ryo! Come on baby!" She taunted. More kicks and strikes ensued as she dashed forward at her Kyokugen opponent.
"Fine!" Ryo replied knocking King back onto the defensive. They'd both been through some pretty rough training. This was a good way of testing their abilities. "Ora – Ora!"
His Kyokugen stance broke out and he was ready to fight. King was already set in her stance and waiting.
"Surprise Rose!" King flew into the air and descended to smash her opponent with her multi striking attack.
"Kohou!"
Ryo's uppercut met King's foot and sent her packing to the mat. She rolled from the ground and quickly sprang up to her feet. Ryo didn't let up as his stance resumed. This was only the beginning.
King sprung up from the mat and dashed at Ryo. Kicks were flying all over the place. Kyokugen wasn't primarily a defensive art so Ryo knew he had to take the offense as soon as he got a chance.
Kick boxers have a balance problem. Ryo would have to wait for King to strike high. His chance came soon enough.
King went for a downward heel strike. Perfect.
Ryo caught it with his muscular forearm and threw it back at her. King started to hobble.
Yes! Ryo threw a fierce punch. His fist was stopped by King's forearms. She didn't even move a second step back.
What? Ryo thought, she must have been training real hard!
"Trap Shot!" Ryo took too long to ponder the recent action. His jaw was rocked by King's shoes and she began to unload a massive series of kicks. Each one connected as they should and as Ryo was dazed she did a final roundhouse strike directly at his jaw.
"Kaaaa!" Ryo cried. His body struck the mat but he was quick to his feet. His bottom lip felt a little funny.
"What the…" Ryo wiped away at his mouth with his thumb. There were a few drops of blood staining his had. Is she going all out? Why?
Forget it! He screamed in his mind. If she wanted a fight she was going to get one. "Kououken!"
King kind of cringed back upon hearing Ryo's attack. Too many bad memories came to mind. No time to reminisce though. This attack came flying at her all the way from the other side of the dojo.
"Double Strike!" King dissipated Ryo's Kououken and was setting him up for another strike. It was now his turn to feel what it was like to be on the receiving end of a fireball attack. King smiled as it almost made contact but soon dropped her expression as he didn't even look like he formed a defense to block it.
The single venom strike crashed against Ryo's chest in a puff of light blue smoke. King didn't expect him to just take it. Was he giving up already?
Ryo cracked a half smile. It didn't even faze him. "Ora – Ora!" He taunted again, breaking into his Kyokugen stance. That pissed King off. Ryo was taking it like it was a joke. He'd pay for that.
King burst forward throwing a frenzy of kicks. Some of them didn't even seem to have much power to them. It was like she was attack just to hurt Ryo.
"King what's going on?!"
King didn't answer. She just kept on kicking. If he was smart enough to taunt her, he should be able to get out of this no problem.
She suddenly felt the weight from under be lifted up and her face planted on the mat. Ryo stuck his foot out and just grazed her unbalanced ankle. That was very embarrassing for her.
"King, that's enough."
Ryo wished he said that standing back a few feet. Somehow King's heel was off target as she kicked at Ryo's stomach. She missed by about ten inches.
"ARGHHHHHH!" Ryo cried reeling backwards. He would have sworn he saw his life flash before his eyes. King was fighting dirty. This was the sign of anger, not martial arts.
Ryo's adrenaline returned into his blood stream. Thank god for years of training that allowed him to take hits like that every now and then. King was already up and instead of kicking Ryo, she clawed at him with her fists.
What the? Ryo caught King's wrists and held them tight. She wasn't going to anything with these anymore but unfortunately for him she wasn't a boxer. King's knee came flying up and collided with Ryo's leg. The impact rattled her leg and it was useless for the time being. She could barely stand on it.
"King what's wrong?!" Ryo screamed. King lifted her head up and stared at him with an angered passion. Her eyes dripped with two tears sliding down each cheek.
"That's enough Ryo," called Takuma from the entrance of the dojo. King's body shivered in his hands. He let her go. She just stood there with her head staring at the ground.
"You have a phone call Ryo. Answer it." Ryo nodded and immediately headed inside. Takuma walked over to King but made sure not to make eye contact with her.
"Fighting is not the way to release aggression. If you feel the need to try another stunt like that again I would have to ask you to leave our dojo and our team." Takuma was very serious. He didn't like anyone making a mockery of fighting. It was acts like the one that took place that gave martial arts a bad name.
"S – Sorry…" King felt another tear sliding down her cheek. She wanted to slap it away but her body wouldn't stop shivering. Takuma gently patted her on the back.
"Come on inside. You'll need some tea to calm you down."
"Well, helloooooooo Ryo!"
"Robert," Ryo cringed, "Where the hell have you been?!"
"Hey I've been taking care of business overseas for the good of the foundation."
"Foundation? Is that another excuse for you to take another vacation on the company expense account?"
"Maybe. I don't know the deal about legalities and such."
"Robert. You're supposed to be training! How are you ever going to last a single round in King of Fighters if you keep screwing around?"
"Hey you know me… I do what I can. I'll be over there next week so you better be prepared."
"Wait! My father is going to – "
"Later."
*CLICK*
Ryo sighed. Robert always avoiding being in South Town during King of Fighters because he'd be dragged kicking and screaming to the Kyokugen dojo.
Ryo left headed for the garage. He neglected his bike for a whole two weeks now and he'd give the rest of his day to working on it. At least there's something here to relax me.
Night had covered South Town. King stayed in her room for a good portion of the day. She was too embarrassed to go back downstairs. What was I thinking?
I know!
You again… She hissed in her mind. You've been nothing but trouble.
How about taking some of my advice now?
Why? It's already too late.
You might think so. Worse things could have happened.
I kicked him in his privates and gave him a bloody lip. What is worse than that?
You could have really made him upset. You're pretty lucky he's got good discipline.
King shook her head. Why was I so stupid?
Because you were afraid of being hurt so instead, you wanted to hurt him.
What?
Think about it. Why did you cry while fighting with him?
King sighed. She didn't know. All of her emotions built up right then and there and she just let them guide her through the entire event.
Right… Didn't I tell you you'd be hurt either way?
I don't want to hear it!
No… But maybe Ryo would.
No he wouldn't. He probably hates my guts.
You'll never know…
She shook her head again. King finally was going to take the advice of her other half. Might as well. She tried everything else.
King entered the living room. There sat Ryo, watching television, flipping through the channels. He must be upset.
She took another step forward and accidentally nudged one of the coffee tables. Ryo quickly turned his head.
"Huh?! Oh…" said Ryo. He quickly stood up, "Hi King…"
"H – Hi… Ryo."
The mood was very uncomfortable. Neither of them said anything. They just looked at each other and thought about what they should say.
"Umm…"
"Uh…."
They both stopped.
"You first," King stated.
"No, it's ok. You – You can go if you'd like."
King nodded. Just calm down and say it already!
"I'm – I'm – I'm sorry Ryo!" King said while bowing. Ryo kind of figured she was going to say something like that but she didn't have to bow.
"It's alright King! I'm… I'm sorry that I acted that way… In the dojo."
"No it's ok! It was my fault!"
This apology war was going no where. Ryo thought it would be best to change the subject.
"Would you… Like to have a seat?"
King looked up at his with a weird expression on her face but it soon faded and she smiled. She always looked so good with a smile on her face Ryo thought.
They both sat and watched television. They remained that way for the next hour. No one said a word. They just sat and watch. Some people would find this kind of behavior a little erratic for two people to mend their emotions but it worked for them and that's all that mattered.
Ryo looked over at King. Her eyes were shut and she looked very peaceful.
She's asleep? Ryo thought. It was pretty late so he couldn't really blame her. No gentleman would ever leave a lady sleeping on a couch. Ryo walked over and gently picked King up. She was very light and by the feel of her prone body, very fragile.
Ryo found his way to King's room and gently placed her on her bed. She laid still. Ryo took a closer look at her and he could have easily mistaken her for an angel. Her draped her body with a bed sheet and tucked her in snugly.
"Good night King," said Ryo. He had to smile at her. She was a full grown woman but looking at her like that she looked so young.
Ryo leaned forward. She deserves this. Ryo kissed King on her forehead and smiled. "Thanks for the mochi." He soon turned around and left her room.
Once the door shut, King blushed and smiled. She reminded herself tomorrow to pray to anyone who would listen and thank them for making the Sakazaki's stair case noisy enough to wake her up and allow her to live through that moment.
(Author Notes: Woah this story is smoking! I didn't expect to write this much but I guess that happens when you're bored, its 3 am, and the power's out. King of Fighters is rolling around the corner so the real action will take place in about two chapters or so.
Story Notes:
- Kula and Foxy: I don't really know much about these two characters but I've seen them recently in the KOF games. I hope I didn't make them seem too out of character but I don't really have anything else to go on.
Alright guys. That's it for now. I'm working on Chapter 7 as we speak and I should have it up by Tuesday or Wednesday. Thanks for the reviews guys. Keep them coming and hopefully I'll see you for the end. Take it easy guys.
P.S.: I've taken care of the chapter 3 problem. Sorry about the trouble but I'm glad someone told me or else I would have just left it alone.)
