Disclaimer: All KOF characters owned by SNK.
Ok this is the interesting chapter that follows the 'prelude' earlier. It's pretty long to make up for the short chapters earlier… what can I say? Enjoy!
7. The Tussle
Just then, a foul odour wafted past. Having a sensitive nose I was acutely aware of it first. It smelled like… Good question. I tried analyzing the smell and instantly regretted it. Ewwww. It smelled like something disgusting. Like shit, or sewage or something of that sort. What the hell?
Shen looked at me, and I looked back at him. Seems he caught on the scent too. We both nodded my heads. Time for action plan. We let our noses lead us. It brought us to a nearby dilapidated manor, and indeed there was a black figure perched on its roof, seemingly camouflaged. In fact, if it hadn't been for the stench, the culprit would have remained invisible to the untrained eye…
Our eyes met yet again. Shen gave a slight nod, while I merely smiled in return. Once more, there was unspoken agreement between us.
One, two, three. We walked into the old manor, pretending to talk about the weather and how sunny it was today to distract the 'spy', while discreetly falling into strategic positions within the house. Shen was to blast the ceiling open with a vertical 'shock punch' while my job was to cut off the escape route; in short prevent the prey from escaping. Simple task granted my 'Ventose' move. Projectiles could be such an advantage at times…
"Say Shen, think it's gonna rain afterall?" I inclined my head towards the ceiling.
"Hmmn, supposedly not, but then again the weather is unpredictable isn't it…" His voice trailed off as he did a sudden shock punch upwards. "Wahhhh!" His masculine voice carried in the air.
Wham! Impact made. The ceiling caved in, bringing along the person on the rooftop. I rushed forward, ready to pin the fallen victim with my Messidor but he had already regained his balance with surprising agility! The person was on a defensive stance now.
"Hooo… Hyaaah!" I screamed, performing my Ventose move. The person would be stunned by my Green Flames, no doubt about it. But surprise, he easily teleported through. Merde, I swore softly. Just my luck! This was going to be one tough nut to crack…
Shen decided to seize the moment. "Take that!" He yelled, as he performed his Terenshou move on the man's exposed back. It landed square on the butt. The man in black stumbled but did not fall. I rushed forward and did my Vendemiaire move. This, if anything should be sufficient to knock that annoying bugger out. Unfortunately for me, the guy rolled past my first blow and I was left hitting the empty air…
"Geez Ash, can't you do anything right? Why are you hitting the empty air!" Shen shouted, exasperated as he rushed forward to intercept the would-be escapee.
"I can't help it. It's part of my Vendemiaire move. Even if the first hit doesn't connect, I still have to perform the next two blows…"
Ten seconds later, only when I had finished with the Vendemiaire did I dare turn around. Shen and the man were already locked in combat. For some reason the man's stance looked familiar…
"Take this!" Shen screamed as he performed yet another powerful shock punch, sailing the entire distance and towards the waiting opponent. I gasped in stupefied horror... Shen could really be so thick headed at times!
Needless to say, the man merely rolled behind Shen and then, he countered with amazing speed. He did a few crouching jabs, followed by some graceful stance(s) which rendered Shen immobile, and repeated steps. It looked like there was no end to it! Shen was gonna be creamed this time. I knew then I had to intervene.
Fortunately, the bugger seemed so engrossed with creaming Shen that he totally ignored my presence. I ran towards the assailant's back and… No, wait. I can't risk using the Vendemiaire. What if it misses again? I'd be left open to attack without Shen guarding my ass… Hmmn… Oh yeh that! I performed two crouching jabs courtesy of my long fingers, and connected it with my Pluviose move. 1…, 3…, 6…, 7…, 8. I got an 8-hit combo! The assailant fell flat, face down.
Before he could compose himself, both Shen and I were already on either side of him. I pinned him down with my Messidor while Shen did the interrogation.
"Well, well what have we here? Some fancy prick?" He spoke in a typical street-bully style as he yanked off the victim's makeshift mask. His eyes widened almost instantly.
What's going on? Now I was indeed confused… Whatever could it be to cause Shen to shut his trap?
I turned the man's head around and looked into a pair of familiar eyes. Slanted, sherry eyes. Hauntingly beautiful yet inscrutable as always… Set in flawless porcelain skin I had always envied… It was now my turn to stare surprised as I recognized the person in front of me.
I took a deep breath before I said my next word.
"Duo Lon…"
A/N: Hehe, how's that for a Grand Entrance? Duo Lon fans, hope you liked it ;)
