"I like how Chizuru is still considerated as one of the strongest female characters in KOF, despite literally having only one win in all her appearences through the story. Like in 96 she gets beaten by Kyo's team(Some versions of the 96 story omit her boss fight), Goenitz appears and one shots her, in 97 she stops the three kings with the help of Kusanagi and Yagami, she doesn't do anything in the NESTS' saga, wich I personally think is fine. Sure it makes her look like she doesn't give a fuck about Kyo and what happens to him but I also not a fan of some manga takes having her job against NESTS' robots and Kyo's clones, and it ends in her not taking part on any of the tournaments by NESTS anyway, because she wasn't in any of the NESTS games, unless you had to rewrite the entire NESTS saga to include her. I think is fine.

"Some maniacs trying to conquer the world with Kyo clones? Pfft! If the threat isn't related to Orochi, I don't care!" - Chizuru's thoughts about the NESTS saga probably

Going towards the events of 2003 and things go worse for Kagura, Chizuru becomes the brainwashed puppet of Botan, who probably forces her to create a fake replica of Maki and Bizarro Kyo(Kusanagi) because Chizuru herself wasn't enough to help Mukai :/ . She gets beat up and is freed, only to appear after Mukai and Botan escape, leading to her sacred treasure to be stolen by Ash... And while Yagami also loses his later. SNK pulls a Barbara Gordon on Chizuru by making it so Kagura can't walk without her sacred treasure... SNK literally puts her in a fridge for the remaining of the Ash saga, she is literally used as a motivation for Kyo to want to beat Ash... Yes, literally they put her in a fridge.

The last thing Kagura does in this saga of relevance is sending Shingo on her place with Kyo and Yagami to participate in the next tournament. Chizuru is supposed to be smart but her plan is kinda dumb and ends in Shingo and Kusanagi almost being killed by Orochi Iori, something that she could foreseen even without using the mirror of yata, like what was she even expecting poor Shingo to do? She tries to convince Yagami to be free from the curse of Orochi after losing his Magatama in Yagami's team story in XIII and that's it.

Not much to say about the Shun'ei saga. Kyo, Yagami and her probably job to either Shun or Isla's teams. If there's ever a manga detailing the stuff from XV. I can see them making her loss against Elisabeth or Dolores, the story at this point was about Shun'ei and Isla after all, the three heirs aren't relevant like the three kings who are also... Just there. Probably put her to lose against Elisabeth, so they can use Betty's infamous quote from XV towards Kagura, as if it wasn't obvious that poor Chizuru is a jobber at this point."

"You're supposed to be a member of the Team Sacred Treasures. You shame them with how you fight." - Elisabeth's words towards poor Chizuru in KOF XV


Chapter 3 - Against the Unknown

Kagura State

Chizuru returns to her mansion after the incident with Akira Tanaka.

"Ah. Ah." - Chizuru pants as she sits in the main room of her home

"(When he shot at my illusion, for a brief moment I saw something strange.. It was me. But the bullet had perfored my head... I saw myself dead!)" - Chizuru remembers a strange vision that flashed through her eyes when Akira pulled the trigger with the intention of killing her but instead shot at the illusion Chizuru had created

"(It was a lucky thing he didn't saw the moment I created that illusion... I have become so rusty with my techniques. Just like the tournament...)" - Chizuru remembers struggling against the creatures Re Verse and the strange woman who appeared after the defeat of Re Verse

"(Ah... Maybe Iori was right. I shouldn't take part of this events anymore. Sometimes I feel like I'm only alive for sheer luck.)" - Chizuru feels depressed again.

"I had forgotten about this papers... luckily it has been awhile without getting another one of this... Part of me wishes this was just a sick joke... But part of me feels I should investigate who did them..)" - Chizuru

"(Maybe I should just relax...)" - Chizuru tries to grab the remote control of her TV as she drinks tea...

*Pass* - For Chizuru's surprise, her hand passes through the remote control, she opens her eyes widely seeing her hand becoming transparent.

"WHAT? MY HAND! MY HAND IS TRANSPARENT!" - Exclaims Chizuru trying to touch the control only for her hand to pass through the control

Chizuru desperately tries to grab the control.

"WHAT IS GOING ON?!" - Screams Chizuru

"Huh?" - Opening her eyes after blinking, Chizuru's sees the control already on her hand.

Chizuru looks at her hand detailed, it doesn't look transparent anymore

"An illusion? No! It felt too real." - Chizuru

Feeling like her mind had pulled a terrible joke on her, Chizuru decides to go to sleep

Somewhere else - 1997

"The three sacred treasures... The only ones who could oppose to our god's will." - Says Orochi Yashiro as Orochi Shermie and Orochi Chris stand alongside here

"So you were part of the Hakkesshu all this time." - Kyo

"Hmph! I knew there was something suspicious about you three rats!" - Iori

"What's wrong, Kusanagi? You feel shocked. It seens out of you three, you were the one who actually trusted in us... That makes you the must stupid out of the three. Hahahahhah!" - Shermie

"Where's she?" - Says Kyo ignoring their comments

"Oh, she will be just fine. We wouldn't hurt who will be the perfect sacrifice for Orochi... Much." - Chris points at a girl of brown hair tied on the center of the altar

"GRRR!" - Kyo runs towards the three

"Kyo, wait!" - Chizuru

"That idiot!" - Iori

"I'll take care of our old pal, Kusanagi." - Chris

"Leave Yagami to me, I've been looking foward to crush his head." - Yashiro

"*Sigh* That leaves me with the grumpy Yata... How boring!" - Shermie

The six start fighting each other, Kyo clashes his flames against Chris'. Yashiro attacks Yagami relentless.

"Try to make this fun, will you? After all, we both know you're the weakest of the three." - Shermie

"Nice attempt at trying to provoke me. But soon you will see how wrong you are!" - Chizuru goes into her fighting stance

Shermie tries to hit Chizuru with her Ankoku Raikouken. Chizuru dodges the attack and counters Shermie with her 108 Katsu: Tamayura no Shitsune move

Both women clash their attacks as Shermie tries to touch Kagura with her electric chi

"What's wrong? Are you scared of a bit of electricity?" - Shermie

"Scared? Hmph, never! Take this!" - Chizuru starts attacking Shermie using her illusions powers. She tosses three clones of herself at the Hakkeshu of lightning

"ARGH!" - Shermie is hit by one of the clones of Chizuru with her move 212 Katsu: Shinsoku no Norito

"Hehehe.. Not bad!." - Shermie moves her hands through her body focusing her chi at maximum

"..." - With a serious face, Chizuru prepares herself for the next attack.

"Die!" - Shermie does her technique Syajitsu no Odori

Chizuru blocks the spin kick

"Huh?" - Chizuru then is surprised as Shermie uses her move Raijin no Tsue kicking her with a overhead electric kick.

"Argh!" - Chizuru is send to the ground

"Looks like they are having fun." - Comments Shermie seeing Chris and Yashiro dealing with Kyo and Yagami

Chizuru gets up, she cleans the blood of her mouth and goes into her stance again

"It seens you're already starting to become tired. Makes sense, you pulled some of your best tricks on the tournament against Bogard and the Psychic girl." - Shermie

"Ha. Ha." - Chizuru uses her 212 Katsu Otsu Shiki: Choumon no Isshin move surprising Shermie as she barely manages to defend herself

"Not bad! Hehehehe... But I was expecting you to do that, actually." - Shermie counter attacks with her palm focusing her chi on it, she sends Chizuru back

"(It is now or never! I must strike her with my Rimen 85 Katsu: Reigi no Ishizue move. I must seal her chi!)" - Thought Chizuru focusing chi on her palm advancing towards Shermie

Both Shermie and Kagura interchange some strikes. Shermie grabs Chizuru, tossing her back with a suplex

"Give up now or this fight will not end well for you." - Says Shermie in a serious tone as she creates two bolts of lightning with her hands

"Grr.." - Chizuru

"Enough! Try to dodge this! I'll seal that power!" - Chizuru jumps ready to attack Shermie with her Rimen 85 Katsu: Reigi no Ishizue move.

"Hah, nice attempt!" - Shermie grabs Chizuru's hand.

"Grr..." - Chizuru is frustated as Orochi Shermie smiles about to exclaim how victory will be for her

"Heheheh!" - Chizuru then chuckles making Shermie be surprised

"What's so funny?" - Shermie

"Haven't you see it? You trapped the wrong Chizuru!" - A voice exclaims calling Shermie

"What?" - Exclaims Shermie turning only to see Chizuru coming towards her with her chi charged in her hand ready to do her Rimen 85 Katsu: Reigi no Ishizue. The illusion that Shermie had thought was the real Chizuru disappears

"Hmph!" - Shermie puts her hand stopping Chizuru's hand covered in chi for her surprised

Both women struggle with each other. Chizuru refuses to give up

*Crash* - A ray is heared as a strange cloud appears covering both

"(A cloud!)" - Chizuru looks at the cloud from a second, suddenly she is surprised as Shermie manages to crush her hand

"I was just waiting it to appear!" - Shermie

"You're done!" - Shermie throws a Yatanagi no Muchi with her free hand.

*Pzzz* - The projectile manages to hit Chizuru making her be trapped as the electricity goes through her body

"ARGH!" - Chizuru screams trying to move her body

"I guess is true what Goenitz once said, Maki Kagura was the pride of the Yata Clan! You're but the embarrassment of the clan, Chizuru! Nothing but a rich spoiled brat trying to fit in the shoes left by her sister!" - Shermie jumps in the air, her body is struck by lightning.

"Disappear forever!" - Shermie does a kick in the air as her body is covered in electricity. A giant ray coming from that move she did falls on Chizuru for Yashiro, Kyo, Yagami and Chris' surprises

"ARGHH!" - Chizuru is fried by the ray. With her body send flying back some meters after the attack

"Chizuru!" - Kyo

"..." - Yagami opens his eyes widely unable to believe Kagura had been defeated

The burned body of Kagura falls to the ground. Kyo goes towards her trying to check her vitals

"Chizuru, wake up! Chizuru!" - Kyo stares at the burned body of Chizuru. He calls her desperately... But there's no answer

"She is dead..." - Whispers Kyo in sad tone as the Three Heavenly Kings smile having managed to hear Kyo whisper that in disbelief

"Impossible!" - Whispers Yagami feeling strange after hearing that

"Well done, Shermie! Of course there was never any doubt that Kagura would fall, after all. The Yata Clan are nothing but small fries. Kagura should had stayed in her castle, this is what she gets for trying to stop the inevitable!" - Chris

"Grr..." - Kyo closes the burned eyes of Kagura's corpse

Kyo gets up with him manifesting his flames on both arms.

"I'll make you three pay for this!" - Exclaims Kyo as he and Yagami reagroup. Yagami looks at the dead Kagura with a blank look. Then he looks at the three kings with a burning hatred just like Kyo

"ARRRGH!" - Chizuru wakes up in her bed. She is sweating as she looks at her hands with a concerned face

"What the hell was that nightmare?!" - Chizuru looks at her hands, she feels a strange pain in her palm.

"(Another nightmare that ends with my dead... But why?)" - Chizuru

"(I don't get it... Could it be related to the strange messages?)" - Chizuru

That night Chizuru burns the papers. She grabs her shoulders wondering if this will stop the strange streak of dreams that end in the same way, with her dead

Unfortunately, Kagura's nightmares continue for the next seven days.

Kagura Enterprises - Seven Days Later

"So, are you sure you haven't been drinking again?" - Ask Miyuki sitting in front of Chizuru's desk

"No, Miyuki. I already told you I've not been drinking. I know myself, last time I ended up drinking, well... It was embarrassing." - Chizuru

"So if I recall, everything started two weeks after you returned from the last tournament. Your pet sparrow died, you almost where killed three times in three different situations, your date was ruined by a maniac shooting people from a tall building with a rifle in shibuya and you witnessed this man's death. Chizuru, I told you to get rid of that bike with the number fourth on it." - Miyuki

"I don't tend to be so supersticious but I can't deny that something is indeed wrong." - Chizuru

"Well, I have been documenting your dreams. But just to be sure, can you repeat me the last two dreams you had?" - Says Miyuki wanting to do a checklist regarding what she write the last two days

"Ok, I dreamed that I had hosted another K.O.F Tournament. Things were going well until the moment where one of the participants, Kasumi Todoh started attacking the other participants, her team and the people in the stadium. She had been turned into a vampire and was now turning everyone else into one. Dream ended after I saved Kyo, Athena, Terry and Ryo from Kasumi turned into this vampire creature." - Chizuru

"Yes, you told me you woke up the moment this Kasumi woman had killed you, sucking your blood out of your neck with her fangs." - Miyuki

"The last one was related to my participation in the last tournament. This creature had killed everyone who had participated in the tournament with me being her last prey..." - Chizuru remembers her last dream involving the recent events of the last K.O.F tournament. She remembers facing the creature know as Re Verse on her own

"And just like the rest of the dreams. It ended when this creature killed me, tearing me apart with her claws." - Chizuru

"Aha... Chizuru. Have you been feeling depressed lately?" - Miyuki

"Yes... Lately I have been remembering Maki alot. It happens out of sudden." - Chizuru

"Yes, you told me this was a big shock... But I thought you had surpassed your trauma years ago?" - Miyuki

"I thought so too. But then I learned that they had been brought back to life..." - Chizuru remembers how the last events related to the Verse anomaly had brought back the Hakkesshu

"I see." - Miyuki wasn't stranger to Chizuru and her clan's story having been told by Kagura herself

"I know they are planning something. I cant let my guard down." - Chizuru

"So is a mix of stress, lack of sleep, depression and fear." - Miyuki

"I also have been feeling lately this anger, this feeling that makes want to toss everything aside in frustation. Even though I don't know why... Is strange." - Confessed Chizuru

"Well, it seens the pills I recommended to you didn't worked. I'm starting to think this is more a problem that has to do with your mind... You're so stressed, isn't it?" - Miyuki gives Chizuru a massage in her shoulders

"Ah... I do feel stressed." - Chizuru feels relaxed after Miyuki ends her short massage

"So, if your rituals didn't worked, the pills that I gave you neither and this teraphy isn't leading to anything. I think we should take some extreme measures." - Miyuki

"Extreme measures?" - Chizuru

"Yes. I'm talking about hypnotism." - Says Miyuki resting her face on her hands looking at the nervous Kagura

"(As long as this help me to stop the nigthmares, I haven't been able to sleep well in the last days.)" - Thought Chizuru accepting the offer of Miyuki

Kagura's State - Afternoon

"So, do we have clear how this is going to be done?" - Miyuki pulls out a pocket clock out

"Yes, I know. I just need to look at the clock." - Chizuru

"Good! So without more interruptions, lets start with this!" - Miyuki stands in front of Chizuru with her clock, she starts moving the clock from side to side as Kagura follows the movement with her eyes.

"You feel sleepy..." - Miyuki

"I felt sleepy." - Repeats Chizuru as her eyes start to close, she starts to get in trance

"Chizuru Kagura, you feel pain, stress, you're depressed, you are scared and angry. But that won't be anymore... Once I snap my fingers, you will be return to be the woman you were. Confident, brave... And most important, this dreams. This nightmares will disappear!" - Miyuki

Miyuki prepares to snap her fingers when suddenly

*Clash* - The sound of glass breaking is heared.

"What was that?" - Chizuru awakens with the hypnotism session being interrupted

"I don't know, but it came from the other room." - Miyuki and Kagura get up with both going into the room where the library of Chizuru is

Both women enter in the libraly. They see a picture on the ground with the glass from the portrait broken

"This picture fell off from the forniture." - Miyuki

Chizuru stares at the picture surprised and remembering is an old family picture, where she, Maki and their parents appeared

"yOu wILl nEvEr fREe YoURsElf fRoM me!" - A voice full of echo was heared as if it was a screech with this supernatural screech forcing both Chizuru and Miyuki to cover their ears

"What was that?" - Asks Miyuki starting to feel shivers

"I don't-WHAT?" - Chizuru turns around to see a vase with flowers coming towards her as if someone had toss it

"AH!" - Chizuru crouches managing to dodge the vase

"Just what is going on?" - Chizuru

"Chi-Chizuru! Look in the mirror!" - Miyuki points to the mirror with her feeling even more scared of what appears

"YOU HAVEN'T SUFFERED ENOUGH! I'LL MAKE YOU WISH YOU WERE DEAD, CHIZURU KAGURA!" - Was the strange message written on blood in the mirror

Chizuru feels shivers reading this, she quickly pulls out the mirror of Yata trying to localize who is behind this

"Nothing!" - Exclaims Chizuru frustated as nothing appears on the mirror

"Huh?" - Chizuru suddenly feels a presence nearby.

"Miyuki look out!" - Kagura pushes Miyuki with both women falling to the ground, looking at where Miyuki was standing, they find themselve with not other than a strange cloaked figure

*Graos* - The creature emits a strange sound as he turns around looking back at Chizuru and Miyuki

"..." - Chizuru opens her eyes staring at this being

The strange creature of grey skin makes eye contact with Kagura, suddenly in Kagura's mind. Something comes to her mind

"(The strange being had grey skin, dark yellow pale eyes, no hair, no nose and pupils. And only a strange brown cloak covered his body.)" - The words of Maki come to Chizuru as she is face to face with this being

"Vermilion..." - Says Chizuru realizing who was in front of her

The strange being and Kagura stare at each other for some moments. Until he does a move, launching to attack Chizuru

Chizuru and the strange being attack each other with Vermilion managing to make a cut with his claws

"ARGH!" - Chizuru screams looking at her cut

"Chizuru!" - Miyuki

"ARGGH!" - Vermilion roars jumping with all the intend of killing Chizuru

Chizuru and the creature struggle with each other. Chizuru kicks Vermilion, both keep attacking each other as Miyuki gets up

"ARRGG!" - Screams the creature being face to face with Kagura as both keep struggling with each other

"(How does he do it? I feel weak... Almost as if he was sucking my chi by just touching me!)" - Chizuru realizes how she had loss chi by having contact with this being. She was starting to feel tired

"(I can't faint right here... He is going to kill me and Miyuki if that happens.)" - Chizuru thought

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" - Miyuki smashes a statue of an angel in Vermilion's head

"GROOAAR!" - The creature drops Chizuru with him looking at Miyuki

"AH!" - Miyuki walks back as the strange creature approaches her with a look that makes her feel terror

Miyuki stumbles upon the mirror in the libraly, realizing Vermilion had cornered her

"Argh!" - Miyuki is grabed by her neck, the creature looks at her as he prepares to impale Miyuki

"AH. AH!" - Chizuru breaths as she gets up slowly. Still feeling tired she holds the chi that is left with her on her fist.

"YOU DAMN MONSTER!" - Chizuru runs towards Vermilion gritting her teeth with all the chi that she has left

*Clash* - Chizuru jumps grabing Vermilion with her as both Kagura and the creature clash towards the mirror

"What?!" - Miyuki gets up surprised as she sees both Chizuru and Vermilion passing through the mirror with both vanishing in front of her eyes

"Chizuru?! CHIZURU?!" - Miyuki tries to call Kagura but she is nowhere to be found, almost as if she had disappeared alongside with the strange creature

Chizuru Kagura has disappeared...

To Be Continued...