Scars

Kyo awoke in a heap of pain and bandages in a room that was not his own as well as an unfamiliar old mattress. Kyo took a look at himself to see how bad he actually looked. He hurt like hell but he didn't look half that bad. His ribs were neatly bandaged and a quick touch of his head revealed that another cloth had been wrapped around his head and there was a small band-aide on his right cheek. His shirt, shoes, and gloves had been the only articles of clothing removed in order to treat his wounds. Whoever had helped him, obviously knew a bit about first aid.

Who had rescued him? That was Kyo's only concern at the moment. Yuki didn't matter, his worried mother had left his thoughts, and his hard-ass father was completely off his mind. All he wanted to know was who had helped him and why? Most people in this day and age would leave a complete stranger lying unconscious in a back alley, bleeding or not, to die or let someone else pick up the trash.

Trash…. Kyo sighed. That was the last thing his father had called him before he'd left home this morning, yesterday morning? That was the reason he'd left home.

Saisyu Kusanagi didn't like the fact that Iori Yagami was still alive, didn't like the fact that Kyo hadn't been to school in years, or that Kyo had skipped training that morning. Saisyu Kusanagi didn't like anything about his only son lately. He was always complaining about the way Kyo did something or something his son had said. So Kyo left without a good-bye to his mother or his girlfriend. The last person to see him was his father. No… Yagami was the last person to see him alive.

Yagami…. Kyo couldn't stop the sigh from arising. Yagami left him alive and he couldn't help but wonder why? Why would Iori Yagami waste such a perfect chance? What use could he possibly have for letting him live? Yagami was supposed to kill him. That's what he wanted right? He was raised the same way Kyo was, kill the other because he will try to kill you. Isn't that what they said? So why would Iori leave him alive?

Concerned about his whereabouts, Kyo tossed the blankets off of his legs. He noticed he was still wearing the bloody, dirty blue jeans he'd fought in. Kyo sighed at that and suddenly wished for clean clothes. He remembered his goal though and stood painfully out of the bed, his left arm instinctively wrapped around himself.

Kyo let himself lean against the wall for the support he would need if he was going to walk anywhere. The bedroom didn't have a door, he noticed. An almost transparent screen separated the bedroom from the room on the other side. The screen left a gap between it and the wall which served as the small bedroom's entry.

Kyo reached the bedroom's entry and wasn't surprised to see a living room on the other side. It appeared to be the biggest room in the apartment. It and the kitchen were linked, separated solely by the little island with barstools in front of it. There was a rather small television set up against the wall to Kyo's left and in front of it was a dirty, red old couch. A hallway stretched down to his left, along its walls were three entries: a gap to enter the kitchen, a door to enter a room Kyo guessed had to be the bathroom was across from the kitchens gap, and finally there was the main entrance, Kyo guessed, at the very end of the hall looking in Kyo's direction.

Kyo winced and groaned as a sudden tremor of pain ripped through his weary body. He looked to the couch and back around the apartment one more time. Whoever lived here was apparently not home. Amazing how someone can leave a complete stranger inside their home alone. Another tremor told Kyo it was time to sit and rest again so he sat on the old couch, the springs squeaking as he did so, titled his head back and closed his eyes.

Kyo didn't bother turning on the television. For one, he figured it wouldn't work with the condition the rest of the apartment was in and then again, maybe it would work, but Kyo's thoughts were enough to entertain him for now.

Iori Yagami shut the door quietly, conscious of the quest he now had badly injured in his bed. He was also aware that as soon as Kyo found out who had helped him, he wouldn't be happy and would most likely attack Iori. Iori wasn't really in the mood to deal with Kyo's little hissy fit, so he kept his noise to a minimum.

Iori turned to look into the living room and felt his heart skip a beat. He could see Kyo's brunette hair from here. Kyo was now on his couch… So, the little warrior had gotten up. Iori grinned as he set his bass case against the wall next to the entrance, slid off his shoes, and walked slowly into the living room. Iori stood beside the couch, beside Kyo, and waited.

Much to Yagami's surprise, nothing happened. There was no voice yelling his name in shock and anger. There were no crimson flames smothering him. There was nothing but a quiet meow.

Yagami looked down at Kyo to see that he was sound asleep and that there was a tiny grey and white kitten curled into a ball on Kyo's lap looking up sleepily from her nap. Iori smiled down at the little creature.

"Hey there Schitzo. Found yourself a new spot, eh?" Iori grinned at the kitten as it yawned then stretched its little arms and paws in Kyo's lap.

Iori took a seat on the opposite end of the couch after he'd realized that Kyo was not going to wake up any time soon. Iori then turned his television on and turned the volume down so low he could barely hear it himself. Some silly little detective show was on and Iori wasn't truly interested in it.

Upon hearing a soft murmur of sleep talk, Iori's attention drifted to Kyo. In his sleep, Kyo looked unusually vulnerable. Every muscle in his toned body was relaxed and at ease, not at all how he looked when he was awake.

Iori noticed that numerous scars lined the young fighters' body; some fresh, some old. Across his arms most were fading, but as Iori looked more towards Kyo's chest and shoulders the scars became whiter, obviously those were some of the most recent. These scars were nothing unusual; some tiny little lines others long and wide from a seemingly more severe injury. Nothing to stare at really, every fighter had these little reminders of past failures and victories. Scars were there to remind fighters of the sacrifices they had to make, of the pain and suffering they had to endure to get to a certain stage, as well as remind them that they would suffer more in the future.

Iori even had his fair share of scars, some visible like Kyo's but most of his scars were hidden inside his memories and thoughts. Iori knew for sure Kyo had his own hidden scars as well. That was just one more thing the two had in common.