King of Fighters is the property of SNK Playmore. I've borrowed the characters for the purpose of writing this story.
The Eyie Nishinho in this story isn't me. She's a character I created 2 years ago. Since she was the very first character that I've created, she became my favorite, and so I took her name as my alias.
Chapter 1 – Gimme A Break!
"I'm leaving."
Three faces gaped back at him. "WHAT?"
"I mean it."
Whip spoke up. "But why?"
"Aren't you happy here?" Maxima asked.
K' shrugged. "…I want to live someplace else…on my own."
"But what about Kula? You two are a couple. You've gone out for some time now. Are you just going to leave without telling her?" Diana protested.
He smiled. "I think I'll let her answer that one."
"Where is she, anyway?" Maxima asked.
"I'm right here," Kula replied, stepping out from behind K''s back. "Don't worry about me, Diana. I'll be doing fine."
"You mean, you're just gonna let him leave like that?" Diana and Whip squawked.
"Oh, no. What I meant to say is…I'm going with him!"
Silence.
Then Maxima spoke. "You two…living in an apartment…alone…?"
"…Just the two of you…?" Diana faltered.
"… That's good, Kula."
"What're you thinking?" Maxima and Diana yelled at Whip.
"What? I think it's right that they want to live in a place by themselves! They need the privacy…to do their personal affairs." At this, K' and Kula blushed furiously. "You know what I mean, Maxima and Diana."
Now it was Maxima and Diana's turn to blush.
Finally, Diana relented. "Oh, alright!"
"Fine with me," Maxima muttered.
"Alright! Thanks, everyone!" Kula beamed, wrapping her arms around K''s right arm.
K' grunted. He glanced at Whip. As he did so, a look of gratitude crossed his eyes.
Whip noticed this, and she smiled at him. "No problem, bro."
Moments later
"How much is the apartment for two people?"
The clerk shuffled through a pile of papers. "…"
K' frowned. "Well?"
The clerk glanced up at him. "I'm very sorry sir, but the apartment's been taken. There is one more apartment, but – "
"But what?"
"It's for three people, and - "
"We'll take it!"
"…it's being occupied by a little girl."
"Huh?"
The clerk adjusted his glasses. "She is the original owner of the apartment. Her parents have long since been gone."
Kula felt sorry for her. "But doesn't she have any guardians?"
"No. She said she could manage by herself. But she does wish for some company."
K' pondered for a moment. "I don't know…"
"We'll take it!" Kula said.
"What? What do you think you're doing?" K' sputtered.
"C'mon, K', it's as good as gold. One little girl can't be a nuisance. And besides, don't you feel sorry for her?"
"I don't – "
Kula looked up at him with beseeching eyes. "Please?"
"Damn…" Sighing, he reached for his wallet. "Where do I sign here?"
At the apartment itself
"Oh…" Kula murmured, glancing around her. "This is so cool!"
"Neat," K' agreed.
Kula ran her fingers over a small marble statue. "She's pretty rich for a lonely little girl."
"Reminds me that we haven't seen her yet."
"Yeah. I'll call her. Hello!" she called. "Anybody here?"
Out of the corner of his eyes, K' noticed a flurry of movement from the library.
"Hellooo.." Kula called again.
"Please wait a sec!" a girl's voice answered.
K' and Kula looked at each other.
"That doesn't sound like a little girl," K' muttered suspiciously.
"You're right…" Kula said.
Just then, a voice spoke in front of them. "Ok, here I am!"
They turned their heads towards the speaker.
"You – you're Eyie Nishinho?"
"At your service!"
"Bu – but you're not a little girl!"
It was true. What they believed to be a 5-year-old was in fact a pretty teenaged girl with long jet-black hair and silvery-gray eyes. She raised an eyebrow at them.
"Excuse me? Of course not!"
"But the clerk at the lobby said…" Kula wavered.
"Oh, no! Mr. Sanders always looks at me as if I'm a five-year-old; treats me like one too! Don't tell me he asked you guys to be my babysitters!"
"Actually, no.. But he did say that you wanted some company.."
"Well..yeah..I do wish for some company here. It gets pretty lonely up here all by myself."
"Then it's settled! How old are you really, anyway?" Kula said brightly.
"Fifteen. Why don't you guys put your stuff in these bedrooms? ..Of course, if you only want to use one bedroom, it can be arranged - "
"NO WAY!"
Eyie laughed. "Just kidding. Anyways, just call me if you need me, I'll be in the library." She walked towards a half-closed door.
As soon as the door closed behind her, K' slumped down onto a couch. "Gimme a break! We're gonna live with a 15-year-old girl? I was hoping she was only 5 years old, but this is too much!"
Kula sighed. "There's nothing we can do about it, K'. Just try to get along with her. After all," she added, smiling encouragingly at him, "she can't be all that bad."
He snorted. "In a pig's eye!"
To be continued…
