Disclaimer: SNK owns King of Fighters and all the characters that appear. I own any original character appears. This in no way derogates from SNK's legal rights and obligations.
Author's Notes Pt1: Early update...also a special long chapter.
Chapter 2 - Second Southtown, various locales
As the party wound down to an end, more and more of the partygoers retreated into their hotel rooms. Soon the party was over, and the place began to grow quiet. Outside, it was beginning to be near morning, the sun began to rise, a red-orange orb in the blue sky. Kai had not slept all night, but he was used to it, the band should be crashing in this morning, anyway after last night's party. He was about to turn into his hotel room, when he saw that Billy was exiting his, now that he remembered properly, Billy had left the party quite early. Kai waved, but it seemed as if Billy didn't notice, and he saw Billy walk down the stairs and out the hotel door. Kai followed, at a discreet distance, following Billy as he walked down the streets of Second Southtown.
Billy walked up to a small house, next to a bigger hall, which looked like a dojo. This had been the address that Mary had given him yesterday night at the party. Billy opened the gate, as it swung open the gate made a noise, as the hinges weren't that well oiled. He walked up the paved path to the door, noting the small garden was not that well tended to, and pressed the doorbell. Ding Dong. The doorbell rang, as Kai observed from down the street, hiding behind a telegraph pole, he made a mental note of the address of the house. He involuntarily yawned, the lack of sleep annoying. He had followed Billy because there had been no time to arrange for someone else, one of his agents to keep watch, or babysit from a distance, as he liked to call it. He had expected the band would sleep in after partying hard.
The door opened and Rock answered the door, tired from the job last night, even though he had left pretty early. Looking through the door, he saw Billy, who was in his usual outfit, blue jeans, blue leather jacket, and his trademark bandana. "Who you looking for," Rock asked, as he rubbed his eyes, still half asleep, not seeing clearly.
"Mary, she told me to come pay a visit, last night, at the party, I'm an old friend of hers who's in town for a visit, she said that she'd take me to visit all the new places in town," Billy replied.
Rock rubbed his eyes, sleepily, as Mary came downstairs for a morning cup of coffee, she noticed that the door was open, and that Rock was speaking with someone, she walked to the door and saw that it was Billy.
"Come in, Billy, I'm still a bit tired from last night, but have some coffee," Mary said.
Rock's eyes widened, "wait a minute, you're the guy from the awards last night, the frontman of that band."
"Yeah, and an old friend of Mary's, who was promised that he would be shown all the places around town before he has to leave," Billy said.
"Come in, and take a seat, we'll be ready in a second, why don't you wait here in the lounge," Mary said, "Rock, we're going to visit your father's grave today, Billy was one of his old friends."
Billy went inside, and sat down on the black couch that adorned the living room, settling in, drinking the coffee that had been offered. He looked around the house, some photographs adorned the wall, there were snapshots of Terry, Mary and Rock as a family.
The pictures bought a feeling of bittersweetness, seeing his old boss's son being raised by his old enemy, and yet, he was being raised by a good man, someone who cared about him, unlike Geese.
"You were friends with Geese?" Rock asked, "Geese didn't strike me as one to have friends." It was weird listening to Geese's son not referring to him as father.
"Yeah, sometimes, I think that I was his only friend. The only one he had. But I never knew if he thought of me as a friend rather than as an employee," Billy replied, looking down at the table, not meeting Rock's eyes.
Mary returned down the stairs, dressed in jeans and a red t-shirt, "Hey, let's go now," she said, as Billy finished the coffee, they left.
Outside, they got into a car, as Terry drove off, Kai took note of the number plate, and flipped open a PDA, tracking the car as it left, he went back to the hotel to pick up his car, and resume his watch.
Terry drove the car down through Second Southtown, passing row upon row of houses, on the way up the hill to the graveyard. As they pulled up to the gates, they parked the car, and they got out, and started walking towards the top of the hill, where Geese's grave was.
As they got close to the grave, they saw the lines of gravestones, in a morbid grey. Rock led them through the maze of headstones, making their way slowly up the hill. Terry and Mary had chosen to wait at the bottom of the final hill, out of respect.
Meanwhile, Kai had hidden behind a tree close by and was observing the whole situation, waiting for them to stop at someone's grave. Of course, he had had Billy's past thoroughly investigated, when he had first formed the band, and knew of his connection to Southtown.
Billy and Rock reached the grave stone, it was plain, but on the stone the name was there, Geese Howard. Billy bowed his head as he paid silent homage to his former boss. He heard Rock stir next to him.
"Mary said that you were really close to Geese," Rock asked again, reopening the conversation which had begun at the house.
"Yeah, used to be his right-hand man, that is until he died, but you should have known that," Billy said.
"Everyone says he was a bad man" Rock said, the sadness reflecting in his eyes. He had been selectively trying to blank out everything to do with his father, including his memory of what had happened on top of the Howard building that night.
"Sometimes, but he was good to me, he gave me a job when I had nothing. Helped me get enough money to bring up my sister, when we were orphaned," Billy replied, as he lay down some flowers by the grave. "Though he did have no mercy for his enemy, I think he believed that his way was the right way, that it was for the best for everyone."
"I felt abandoned by him, he didn't acknowledge me as his son at all, and last time we met you said that I shamed his legacy," Rock said, slightly angry, but more ashamed of his blood, not wanting to dredge up old memories of the past.
"Uhh, yeah about last time," he said as he gave a wry smile as he ran his hand over his bandana, sweating a little, "I was out of line...annoyed at that assassin, my fault," he shrugged, rearranging his bandana that he had just messed up, "never did find out who sent her though, but it convinced me of the danger of staying here. And as for your father, he probably didn't want you put in danger, he had plenty of enemies, and not just honourable one's like Terry. There were other dangerous ones, who would not have hesitated in killing you and your mother. It was dangerous to be around him, but I understand some of what you went through, growing up without parents."
"Terry and Mary are good to me, I think of them as my parents," Rock stated, looking down at the grave of his biological father, determined to think of him as nothing more than the father that had given birth to him, "but I feel cursed, his blood runs through me, people say that it is bad blood, that I'll be criminal because of my blood."
Billy paused, thinking, searching for the right answer, to the question posed by an obviously conflicted Rock, "You and he are different people, you had a different upbringing, different circumstances, Terry, even though I don't like him that much is a good person, he knows right from wrong. Your blood has nothing to do with the way you turn out. My sis and I are totally different people, yet we have to same blood."
"But..." Rock said, still unsure.
"I was just as bad as Geese in the day, we can all change for the better. Blood has nothing to do with it. Don't ever let anyone make you believe that you will turn out to be bad, just because your father was bad." Billy said encouragingly, trying to atone for his past mistake, having become wiser, and also this time there was no assassin trying to kill him.
"Thanks..." Rock replied, his mood having improved, as they descended the hill back towards the City, "I never did find out who sent that woman either, but there are definitely people out there who would kill us just for being related to Geese. And you are right, we may be related but we are still different people."
Later that night, after a day of visiting all the new places around town, and after Terry and Mary had left to do their couple things, Billy and Rock visited a bar in Southtown, owned by King. Kai, of course disguised himself as a patron in a dark overcoat and a hat, and sat there watching over his frontman, hunched over his drink at the counter, really tired.
Billy and Rock sat at a table, having formed up a fast friendship. The waiter brought them their drinks, and they sat down around a table, talking.
Billy had sat with his back to the door. The door swung open, and Iori walked in, Billy turned around to see Iori walk in, and he drew out his staff, got up from his seat, and walked towards Iori.
"Iori, you're a dead man," Billy said, getting up from the table and taking his staff out from under his jacket.
"Look that was ages ago, you still hung up on that," Iori replied.
"Shut up and just die," Billy began to move and Iori got into a fighting stance.
Suddenly, Iori found himself being propelled in the air, but it was obvious that it had not been Billy that had hit him.
Kai, who was in his overcoat had gotten up and sent Iori flying across the room with a palm to the side catching him by surprise more than anything, breaking a chair in the process.
"Sorry, miss bartender, I'll pay for any damage in the bar," Kai said, still in his disguise, "but no one tries to hurt my band members and gets away with it."
"Kai? That you?" Billy asked, shocked, as Kai took off his broad hat which had been hiding his face. "Have you been following me?" Billy had known for some time that occasionally, well often when they were on tour, there would be watchers following, making sure that nothing untoward happened to the band members, as he had spotted them easily, but he never expected that Kai would personally do the watching.
"Yeah," Kai replied, "I have to make sure that band members don't get into trouble," he emphasised the last word.
"You hit someone really powerful, that's Iori Yagami" Billy replied.
"Pfft, I'm not at all worried, I've spent enough time getting rid of any paparazzi to be able to deal with any overzealous fighter," Kai replied, trying not to tell the truth that he was actually an expert fighter himself, having trained in Chaos Arts.
"He's different, this guy fights for a living," Billy said, "he's definitely no paparazzi who can't fight."
"No difference, paparazzi try to run you over with motorbikes and campervans," he said as Iori got up. "Hey dude, I don't want to fight you, but I'll kick your butt if you try anything."
"Anyway he's mine, this is a personal thing, no need for you to get involved," Billy said.
"Not when you have responsibility to the band, and we're in the middle of a tour, can't have my frontman turn up to the concert anything less than one hundred percent, so you have to stay out of it," Kai ordered, his tone hard, allowing no argument.
Iori charged towards them, as Kai jumped in the air, towards his enemy and brought hit right leg down in a scythe like motion, forcing his enemy to block the overhead blow with crossed arms.
"Look, you should stop before this gets out of hand, I was just trying to stop the fight, but I can't let anyone hurt my band members, well things happen to them," Kai said, his eyes glinting maliciously, telling a different story, a primal part of him wanted to fight.
A punch began to come towards his head, but Kai raised his hand and blocked the punch full on, with his green chaosfire, fizzling sounds heard in the bar as his chaosfire backed palms blocked whatever was being thrown at him. Some of the patrons were staring in disbelief, this guy...they thought. Kai continued to block the blows.
"Look, I don't know what fight you have with my frontman and I'm sorry for hitting you, but don't you dare threaten any one of my band members ever again, or there will be consequences," Kai said, "I'll deal with what happens to my band members when they step out of line, not you, got it? You better leave now." Iori wasn't the least bit intimidated, but thought it would be wiser to listen to Kai's advice rather than reopen hostilities. He didn't fancy a two on one fight, not tonight, anyway, especially in King's bar since she did let his metal band play here.
The chaosfire waned. Turning to King, Kai apologised for the fight again, and then turned towards Billy, "you're in big trouble."
"What, he should be dead, he's nothing but a low-life traitor," Billy replied, almost growling it out. Kai glared his eyes, throwing a withering look of anger. "Alright, alright," Billy continued, "I'm sorry."
"You better be," Kai replied before turning to King, trying to think of a way to repay the poor manageress, and punish Billy at the same time, then the idea struck him, "Would you like the band to play here tomorrow night? I'm sure Billy here, would be most obliged to play, wouldn't you?" he asked, stressing the word obliged.
"Uhh, yes," he answered the words forced, after being given the death stare by Kai.
"Is that okay with you, Miss King?" Having received an assent, Kai got up to leave putting his hat back on, "Don't get into anymore trouble," he drawled as he left, the door swinging behind him. The people in the bar relaxed, glad the situation was defused.
Billy looked sheepish and angry at the same time, but he knew that Kai was right. He was on tour and had a responsibility to the band and to their fans, he guessed that he would just have to put up with the presence of that man...for now, at least until the tour was over. He returned to his drinks with Rock.
The next morning, Kai received a knock on his hotel room door, early in the morning, he opened the door and he saw Billy outside the door. "Come in, about last night..."
"I'm sorry about that, just that I really hate him, and anyway, what were you doing there last night," Billy said, trying to explain, hesitating.
"Looking out for you, making sure the band was ready to play at anytime," he laughed out after he had finished, "and having fun watching you squirm."
"I meant what was that bloody green glow on your hand," Billy asked, curious, he had thought that Kai was only a manager, and a pretty mild-mannered one at that.
"Ah...just wait a second," he reached in a lit his cigarette, he puffed, "Something I've had since I was young, when I lived in another country," Kai replied, "nothing that I want to go into, my past is something that should remain hidden from public view, like yours," trying to deflect the inquiry.
Billy was however unwilling to take the hint, as he brushed the smoke away, he knew that Kai was trying to annoy him into dropping his inquiry. This time it would not work, even though the smoking really got to him. Direct questioning would not work, so Billy tried a different approach, "You know that you just made a powerful enemy, right?"
"Yeah, that guy's quite good but as far as I'm concerned he's not my enemy, he's just someone who had to be stopped," he puffed again, "I also saw you at that man's grave," he laughed as he puffed out.
Billy waved his hands to clear away the smoke, "You were following me, didn't notice you at all," he said. After all he had known that Kai had had people following him, keeping watch, it was easy enough to spot them, given his experience, when they were around.
"Another gift I had since I was young, I'm good with disguises and hiding," Kai replied, laughing out loud, lying.
"So you know about the past and whose grave it was," Billy said, "You had better tell me yours, otherwise it wouldn't be a fair trade," he tried his hardest to glare at Kai, to force him to tell.
"Most of it, especially your involvement with him, and maybe I'll tell you one day, but not today, it's a long story," Kai replied, "and not one that you would really want to hear."
"Damn it, I didn't want that to catch up with me," Billy swore, his fists clenching.
"Your secret is safe, anyone who gets in the way will face the consequences," heavy implication in the last few words, "Why else do you think that the paparazzi never ever follow us?" Kai replied, calmly, "and anyway you don't need to worry, even if it does get out, you've already got an official pardon anyway, and the PRs will spin it into something good, it makes your bad boy image look badder," they both laughed.
"Hey, I remember the time when all their motorbikes were sabotaged," Billy replied after they had finished laughing.
"Who do you think sabotaged them?" he smirked, "By now they should have learned not to follow us. The kid you were with seemed nice. But we do have to play at that bar tonight, the others know that we have to play tonight, told them it was a personal favour to a friend, but you do owe them. Big time."
"He's Geese's son," Billy sighed as he replied, "He's such a conflicted kid, wish I could do something to help him, he's a mess, like I was when I first moved here."
"Hah, like I would care. And I think you've done a lot, such inspiring words," Kai said, "Anyway, that's all I wanted to say, unless you want to train with me, I'm off to breakfast," he joked, as he left the room, "we'll get there at four this afternoon, remember to be ready."
"Wait a minute...you..." was all Billy could get in, before Kai left. Damn, that guy had some special tricks up his sleeve apparently, which well, was a good thing and a bad thing. He would have to find some way to get back at Kai for this one.
Author's Notes Part 2
1. Sorry for OOCness, there's definitely some this time...I think my Iori was way off...as is my King but that isn't so important. Plus the fact that Billy actually showed some maturity for once...LOL
2. Sorry, no more Iori's metal band in this story, though maybe in the semi-sequel. Still haven't decided whether or not I will write Streets of Southtown (which will pick up right after this one ends, but have different main characters)
3. A little explanation about the chaosfire - it's not really needed for the purposes of this story but will definitely be needed in the sequel, HMK2. So bear with me even if it does seem a bit contrived. If I ever finish writing HMK2, then all will be explained and you will see why it was necessary but that's a long wayoff...
4. Chaosfire - so it's fire, butnot like Kyo's, Iori's, K's, Ash's, Orochi Chris'sor even Kula's Ice power. These ones I term as gaseous. Chaosfire on the other hand is liquid fire, so it acts like a liquid and bubbles and boils and flows and drips, rather than being gaseous.It does not burn as much by heat but more by acid.
5. I'm playing up the whole Billy and Rock thing, because I think that it's actually got a whole heap of storyline potential. Wish I knew what happened in KOF:MI2 and if they actually met peacefully.
6. Also, this fic will soon go M-rated for torture which will occur later, so people need to remember to turn off the K-T ratingfilter ifyou want to find this fic.