A/N: I don't own King of Fighters (shock).
I kneel in front of the mirror and look myself over. I wonder if Kyo would like the outfit I am wearing. I avert my gaze and let out a laugh of pity aimed at myself. Stop thinking of him, I admonish myself quietly. He's not yours anymore. He never was.
The room is dark, the blinds closed tightly. It is my room, but it is barren of anything that sheds light on myself. My only decoration is a small, framed picture of my father. Perhaps it does say something about me, that small, black and white photo. Perhaps too much. I take the picture and place it in my drawer. A sigh escapes my lips, one of pain and relief.
"I'm sorry, father," I apologize to the invisible presence in my room before stepping out. He does not answer. My father's ghost does not answer.
The training dojo is only a few minutes away from my house, and I walk briskly toward it. Suddenly, a man is standing before me, his red hair partly covering his face, surprising me just as I turn the corner.
"What do you want, Iori?" I manage to mutter in between large gulps of air.
He smiles at me slyly and replies, "I was just in the neighbourhood, Kasumi." I let out a laugh filled with sarcasm but laced with fear.
"Seriously...what are you really doing here? I would think you'd be-" I stop in mid sentence. Fighting with Kyo. That is what I want to say but can't. I hate hearing his name.
"Would think I'd be...what?" he asks.
"Nothing," I reply as I try to walk past him. Once again he steps in front of me. Now I am closer to him and no better off.
"You want to spar?" he asks almost mockingly as he begins to stroke my face. The anger boiling within me suddenly bursts and I launch a punch toward his stomach. He uses his other hand to stop my fist before it reaches anywhere near him.
"Will you leave me alone if I spar with you?" I finally concede, feeling utterly helpless.
"For today," he bargains as we head toward the dojo. Iori drapes his arm around my shoulders and I don't bother to brush him off.
"Don't you have a girlfriend?" I say coolly. I feel him tense up and soon after his arm slithers off. I wonder why I'd never thought of that before. But I also wonder why someone as evil as Iori has someone and I have no one.
At the dojo, King and Mai are waiting for me. They are both surprised to see me with Iori. He grins and waves at them but all they do is stare.
"I'll be sparring with Iori today, girls. I uh, hope you don't mind," I say, breaking the silence.
"Yeah," King drawls in her heavy British accent. "It's okay." But I know it's not, because I can hear Mai muttering low pitch curses to herself. I can feel my face flush with embarrassment, but it's too late to turn back now.
I stand in my ready position and look over at Iori who is standing calmly in a relaxed position. My muscles tense up and I grind my teeth. In the way he presents himself to me, as if I am not worthy of his best, agitates me worse than his lecherous advances.
"Are you ready?" he yells out. I'm almost determined to defeat him, though I know that that's practically impossible. I nod my head and the match begins. I throw a punch at him which he easily dodges. I throw another. He dodges. A kick. A dodge. I scream as I launch toward him. He steps out of the way and I am left grasping nothing but air. He's doing nothing but dodging! He is having pity on me. Iori, this merciless killer, is having pity on me. The thing I don't want, the thing I hate. I look at him with renewed anger.
"Attack me!!!" I scream in rage as I power up. I can feel the energy within me travelling toward y arm. Such an adrenaline rush. In my haste, though, I leave myself open. There are so many possibilities, so many ways to hit me. He attacks with a low sweep and suddenly I feel myself plummeting toward the ground. The air rushes past me for a swift second, before I hear my head hit the cement. I hear it, but I can't feel it. Soon, everything goes black and I wonder if I'm dead. I can hear them talking, though...about me?
"...why the hell did you have to hit her so hard?"
"...is she going to be okay?"
"...she looks so peaceful..." My eyes blink open. I don't want to look like a peaceful corpse. I won't accept death. Not now.
"I'm okay." Everyone looks down at me with relief. Even Iori. He leans over and picks me up. Mai looks at him.
"Where are you taking her?" she asks.
"I'm just going to brink her back to her house. Don't worry," he tries to reassure them. Of course, it does nothing to ease their minds.
"We'll go with you...just in case," King says. Iori gives the both of them stern looks of disapproval. Reluctantly, they let him pass and we head toward my house, Iori and I, alone. I realize the painful irony of the situation. Now it is me with my arm draped around Iori.
"Are you feeling okay?" he asks in a concerned voice. All I can do is nod. The sun hangs high above us in a clear blue sky. Nothing seems to be moving, not even the trees. Even we don't seem to move, as if we area part of the motionless scenery. For a second, I rest my head on Iori's chest. My brain waves work quickly to tell me this is wrong and I revolt back in disgust.
"I-I can walk by myself," I declare defiantly, and motion for him to put me down. On my first step forward I realize rather painfully that I have sprained my ankle. I begin to fall again but Iori catches me before I hit the ground. Once again, he carries me and we do not speak for the rest of the way home.
The inside of the house is still dark, all the blinds shut tightly from the night before. Iori leaves me on the couch and goes to the bathroom to look for the first aid kit. I sit there and contemplate the situation I have put myself in. I am in a dark house alone with Iori Yagami. Somehow fear does not cross my mind. He reappears and opens the blinds.
"It's too dark in here for me to see," he explains as he begins to bandage my head. I can't help but realize that he's pretty good looking. My face heat up and I want to move away, to hide my face, but I can't while he's putting on the bandages. He shifts over and gently begins to move my ankle. I let out a gasp. Slowly he wraps it and I'm amazed by how gentle he is. "There. Done," he finally says. I feel relieved, but not because I was scared. Iori surprises me with a smile. But not one of his usual hollow smiles, it is a smile full of warmth and a strange, illuminating glow. I smile back and we sit there, smiling at each other until the doorbell rings. I wonder who it is. Maybe I'm a little annoyed.
Iori gets up to open the door and we are both taken aback by the two people standing there. Kyo and Yuki. Kyo is looking menacingly at Iori.
"What are you doing here?" he asks through clenched teeth.
"I'm just tending to Kasumi," Iori replies, as if it has a double meaning. Of course, he knows and I know that it doesn't.
"May we come in, Kasumi?" Yuki calls out to me. I shudder. What a shrill, annoying voice. I welcome them in anyway. "Oh, dear. What happened?" Yuki asks in concern as she gawks at me.
"I was sparring with Iori," I reply, trying not to grind my teeth. I see Kyo glare at Iori. The nerve. As if I can't handle myself. He acts as if he still cared for me. "What brings the two of you here?" I ask. Yuki looks down at me cheerfully.
"Kyo and I are getting married." the words hit me like a ton of bricks. Married? I can feel my face flush with anxiety and heartbreak.
"Congratulations," I manage to squeak.
"You should excuse her voice," Iori says, trying to cover up for me, "It was a rough fight." I wonder if they can see through that lie.
"I...sorry. Really, congratulations. Please stay for dinner."
They sit across from me, Yuki and Kyo, and Iori sits down beside me. I try to get up and head for the kitchen, but I fall back onto the couch in frustration.
"I'll help you with dinner," Iori offers as I grab hold of his arm. I wonder if Kyo is jealous, even in the least.
The doorbell rings again. It's Kaomi Valentine, a close friend of mine. she grins at me teasingly.
"I heard about your training session with Iori. What is this, anyway? He beats you up and then nurses you back to health? That's a weird way to get the girl!" Kaomi laughs like a ridiculous fool.
"Stop it, Kaomi," I order. I think, maybe, I was trying to stick up for Iori. "Uh, come on in. I totally forgot that I invited you to dinner. Kyo and Yuki are going to eat with us, okay?
They're, uh, getting married." Kaomi pokes her head through the door.
"Whaaat?! But I thought...oh, uh, congratulations, kids. Hey, I'll help you with dinner, Kasumi." Kaomi heads toward the kitchen before I can stop her. I lean harder on Iori and we head for the kitchen. Kaomi is already cutting up some tomatoes.
"Your friend has quite a mouth on her," Iori whispers.
I giggle and whisper back, "she was just kidding, Iori. She's a good friend." I wonder how I have come to have playful banter with this person who I supposedly despise. I tell Iori to bring me to the kitchen table and Kaomi gives me some potatoes to peel. "Iori, why don't you go talk with Kyo and Yuki?" He frowns at the idea but heads for the living room anyway. Kaomi sits down beside me and helps me peel the potatoes.
"So..." she begins, "whatta you think? About them getting married?"
"I...I'm glad. They deserve each other." I realize that sounds bitter, but Kaomi doesn't notice.
"It's so weird," she continues, "I always thought Kyo would marry you." My hand slips and the knife grazes my thumb. My blood pours out, just like my pain. I begin to sob miserably, quietly so that the others cannot hear. Kaomi hands me a box of tissue. "Oh, gee, sorry, Kaomi! I didn't mean to-"
"It's okay," I interrupt her. " I always thought I'd marry Kyo, too. But...it can't be helped." Kaomi scrunches her nose.
"You always say that about everything. It can't be helped. Sometimes you have to fight for what you want." I regain my composure but my stomach feels uneasy.
"I don't want to fight for him, though. I'm tired of on. We still have to make dinner." Kaomi and I prepare a stir fry and noodles. Soon we are all sitting in the kitchen, the setting suns rays lighting up the room. There is an uneasy tension in the air. I can't tell if it is because of Kyo and Iori or Yuki and me. I watch her, sitting there, making light chit-chat with Kaomi, taking small sips of her drink.
"I'm on a diet," she says smugly. "You know how it is." She takes another sip of her drink. How arrogant! I flash her a smile, but secretly I am thinking of how much I would like to scratch her eyes out.
"So when will you two be getting married?" I ask.
"In June. Summer's a good time, y'know?" Kyo replied. I nod in agreement.
It would have been beautiful in the spring though, Kyo. Our wedding. there was going to be an orchestra and I would have Mai and King as my bridesmaids. Benimaru would be your best man. My dress is pure white satin and a heavy veil covers my face. You are wearing a black tuxedo and you are anxious-almost as anxious as I am-as I walk down the aisle. I finally reach the altar and you clasp my hands in yours. The minister continues on until he reaches the question I have been waiting for since the first time I saw you. "Kasumi...do you want some more noodles?"
"Hun?" I snap out of my daydream. Everyone is looking at me with concern. I let out a nervous laugh and take the noodles. I want them to think I'm happy. Happy for them and happy for me.
"You're all invited," Kyo informs us. "Even you, Iori. Yuki insists on it."
"Well, I want it to be happy." I just stare at her and want to throw up. I mean, what the hell is this...the Brady Bunch? "Don't you agree, Kasumi?" I want to say no and throw my drink her face. For a second I imagine throwing her through the living room window.
"Of course, Yuki! I just want everyone to be happy-happy!" Now the venom spits out from my mouth like an angry cobra, and I don't hide it. Yuki looks quite taken aback but says nothing, and I'm glad. One more word out of her and I would have done all of the psychotic things I was thinking about doing to her the entire night. There is silence for what seems like an infinite amount of time. Kaomi looks at me with almost a giddy anticipation, waiting to see what I'd do next. "I'm sorry, Yuki. It-it's really very noble of you to think that way." She smiles as if to say all is forgiven.
"Ahem. Well, it's getting late and we have school tomorrow." I smile sadly and know that he's lying. For one thing, he's never cared if he missed school before. And another thing is the fact that it's Saturday. He really must want to leave. Kaomi helps me to lead them to the door. We act as if nothing bad had happened. Yuki heads toward Kyo's car but Kyo stays back. "Are you still coming to the wedding?" he asks, pulling on his jacket.
"Yes," I reply. This is the firs time we have talked one-on-one together since we broke up. We were in a park and I had began crying quietly while Kyo looked away either embarrassed or ashamed. He didn't even look at me when he offered me a tissue. Even with all this sadness I remember, I want him to talk to me. I just want him to talk to me. Kyo looks at me as if I am a pathetic stray.
"I know why you must not like Yuki, but what happened between you and me...that was a long time ago. We can't just pick up where we left off, even if I didn't love Yuki anymore. And I do still love her. I'm sorry, Kasumi. I'll see you." And then they were gone. I felt Kaomi's hand rest on my shoulder.
"That guy totally need to get over himself," she snorts. I let out a half hearted laugh. "I thought you were gonna attack her, Kasumi. You just, like, had murder in your eyes throughout dinner. You really handled yourself with dignity. Just wondering though...why didn't you?" I sigh and motion for her to let me sit down on the couch.
"We both want Kyo but we both know Kyo would defend Yuki before he'd ever defend me. I don't want to force him into something he doesn't want. If he wants to marry Yuki, it's his choice. It can't be helped. I won't stand in the way of their happiness..." Kaomi looks out into the dark night.
"That's a heck of a wedding gift," she chides. I smile at her as she puts on her coat. "I've gotta go. It's getting late. Don't worry, okay? Things will be okay." I nod and she leaves too. I lay my head on the arm rest and for a second I almost feel alone. Almost. Iori steps out from the kitchen holding a pear and a knife. He guts into the pear and carves out a slice.
"Did everyone leave?" he asks, popping the slice into his mouth.
"Yeah...you ever ask for anything or do you usually just take it?" I inquire. He laughs and sits down beside me. He thinks I'm joking. Even I can't tell anymore.
"I can't believe that Kyo is getting married," he muses. "She's not even eighteen yet. Is that even legal?" "Yeah."
"Oh." He fidgets for a moment, neither of us knowing what to say. "You're not too happy about it, I guess. I'm unhappy, too. The fact that he's happy makes me unhappy," he declares, coming closer, "but at least we're both unhappy together." I smile sourly at him.
"Don't push your luck, Iori." He places his hand on my leg. I want to punch him, but I'm too tired. Perhaps I don't want to. After all, he had been kind to me the whole day...except for the thing with knocking me unconscious. "Iori, your girlfriend is probably waiting at home for you. Would you really cheat on her?"
He whispers in a seductive voice, "She wouldn't know now, would she?" A screeching laugh escapes my mouth. I turn over to look at him and pinch his face, giggling.
"Go home, Iori. It's dark now." He looks at me as if I were insane, but there is no anger. Without saying a thing, he carries me to my room. Gently, he lowers me to my bed. Somehow, he was still able to carry me and the knife and pear, which he continues to eat as he sits down on the edge of my mattress. We sit in silence until he finishes the fruit. He looks at me, the same way Kyo used to look at me, and it scares me. In a strange way, he reminds me of Kyo. He leans over and kisses me on the cheek.
"A nice girl like you shouldn't live with so much sadness." He heads toward the door but pauses before leaving. "I wish I could be the one to make you happy," I hear him mumble, and then I am alone. Really alone. Reaching into my drawer, I grab hold of my father's photo.
"Do you think I'm a fool, father?" I ask aloud. He does not answer. How I wish he could answer me again just one more time. I close my eyes and think of all the pain in my life. All the pain caused by men. I wish I could just stand up and tell everyone that I'm okay, that I'm strong.
I wish I was.
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