Before we continue, I want to thank some kind folks. Walid Attia, thank you very much for that review. While brief, those simple words can be enough to keep a person going, and I definitely took great strength from it. So thank you for taking the time to give me that.
heii-lin, I am so sorry to hear that you're still going through some ordeals in life. That just warms my heart even more that you take the time to come back here and review my story. Please, don't give up, and know that I believe in you all the way. The black clouds always clear up eventually, and life will return to balance.
Lastly, I knew you'd love that chapter YuriChan hehe. I knew you couldn't stay away from THAT one ; )
Without further ado, enjoy this next fight. It's uh... not my best work, honestly. This chap is a mess.
Chizuru stood diligently, observing the proceedings as always... never a moment to relax. Never a moment to let go. Despite abdicating herself from her hosting duties, she forbade herself from allowing her responsibilities to falter.
She scanned the entire Stadium, with careful eyes... watching for something. Anything.
She saw the fighters, in the stands, talking, laughing, gossiping. Some were licking their defeated wounds. Some had left for the hospital.
She saw others... congregating... in more secluded areas. Big's Crew, on the far end of the stands. The Heavenly Kings, huddled together in the shadows... plotting...
She saw Iori. He was being flanked: Mature from behind, Vice from the front. The blonde was trying to comb his hair, while the redhead was fumbling with his black trenchcoat... Iori slapped their hands away in an omnidirectional flurry, and retreated to the locker rooms.
Mature and Vice. She didn't like them. She didn't like their... hold... on him. Refusing to pass on to the afterlife, electing to stick around in the mortal world... always clinging to him... using him... she couldn't imagine what it was like. Never having privacy. Never being able to indulge in solitude. Never having a bed to himself.
Even then, she couldn't help but wonder about greater, more frightening things... what were they doing to his mind? What vile rhetoric were they filling his head with? Were they trying to sway him to their cause? Maybe they'd confided in its entirety their ambition to awaken Orochi, and offered him a seat next to them?
...Would he say yes? Would he push her away, push Kyo away? Abandon his birthright? She liked to think Iori was better than that... that she should punish herself for these thoughts.
But it was her job to be afraid. It's what made her the protector of humanity.
"Chizuru."
A voice startled her back to reality. She turned; Saisyu was standing beside her. He initiated a humble bow.
"Saisyu." Chizuru bowed. "Preparing for your fight?"
He nodded. "I'm coming up soon, for sure. I'm not sure who I'll be fighting... but I have high hopes it will be one of those devils."
Chizuru gave a half smile. "If only Rose wasn't so stubbornly committed to opposing me... maybe I could have gotten one of them too. But it doesn't matter; I'm still in the tournament, and that gives me another chance to deal with them."
Saisyu nodded again. "And maybe, if we're lucky... the Yagami runt."
Chizuru's face turned to a half solemn, half worry. She turned to the locker room, where he had vanished.
"I... I'm worried about him, Saisyu. He's barely interacted with anyone. He's constantly pushing me away. And he's... urgh... he's always with that Mature and Vice..."
Saisyu shrugged. "I'm just saying, if I were a man, and two beautiful women never wanted to leave me alone..."
"Will you knock it off!" Chizuru scolded. "They could be poisoning his head. Trying to convert him. We... I... need to be there for him, as much as possible. Without Kyo here... there's nobody else..."
Saisyu put a hand to his chin. "I certainly can't offer a comforting presence to the boy. It'll have to be you. But you know... the harder you try, the further you'll push him away."
"Then what am I supposed to do?!" Chizuru shouted, louder than she expected. "Let those sirens seduce him with sex and wily words until he's an agent of evil?!"
A hand on her shoulder. "Chizuru... you need to believe in the boy."
She stopped... looked down at her feet, the impact of those words lowering her head. Is that... what she's being right now?
"Think back! Think of how far he's come." Saisyu lectured. "All those years spent, preaching the downfall of Kyo, but he was always there when the world needed him! He helped my son, he helped you, when darkness threatened to plague the land, time and time again. And now you sit here, fearful of his subversion? It's not like you to lose your nerve, Chizuru."
"B-but..."
"Even without Kyo here, don't underestimate that kid. He may have a confused head on his shoulders... but a good one nonetheless."
Chizuru's eyes hung low for a few more seconds... before she swiftly picked herself up, returning to professional posture. "Perhaps you're right, Saisyu. F-forgive me..."
"It's okay to worry." Saisyu gently brought her down, rubbing her back in a soft, circular motion. "For now, let's root for Yagami and wish him well."
ROUND 2 FIGHT #8: IORI YAGAMI VS SHINGO YABUKI
His head was hurting something fierce today.
Could be Mature and Vice's fault; they were so damn annoying. Never left him alone. He couldn't even take a damn shower without their suffocating presence. If he were to kill them really quick... how long would their spirits be gone...?
...Oh wait. Still in the tournament. That Bernstein's brat sister would give him hell. Might please Chizuru though: she's been going nonstop about the Hakkeshu since the first day. Fighting Yashiro proved well enough that they were legit still dedicated to their anarchic cause...how annoying. Kyo got to chill at home on the couch, while Iori was stuck here, to deal with it. He'd be sure to roast that smug prick next time their paths crossed.
Still... something didn't seem right today.
Iori shook it off as sleeping wrong and proceeded to the combat zone. He looked over at the stands: Chizuru waved at him with a warm smile, while Saisyu stood still, arms folded. Iori rolled his eyes and walked forward.
...The next thing he felt was a weight plow into him, forceful enough to knock his feet off balance.
"Hey, what the hell...!"
Iori straightened himself and looked up: it was a scowling Benimaru Nikaido.
"Beni. Thought you went to the hospital."
"I'm fine, thank you very much!" Beni lashed out. "And I just got one thing to say to you, Happy Fingers."
Beni forcefully snatched Iori by his red shirt, and pointed towards the combat zone... where his opponent had just made his walkout, to thunderous applause. Iori's stomach sank when he saw him.
"...You better not hurt that kid again."
Beni let go of his shirt and walked away, leaving Iori staring... with an unsettling pit in his stomach.
"Crap. Of all the god damn..."
Shingo was popular as ever, getting the crowd hyped with his never-ending zeal. "THIS! IS! MY! YEAR! THIS! IS! MY! YEAR! WOOOOOOOO!"
Nobody necessarily believed he could win the tournament, especially after being styled on by Jhun Hoon, but his sheer confidence and positive vibes alone was enough to send their spirits soaring in his presence. He was just what Munich, Germany needed...
...And now Iori had to strike him down. Great.
However detached Iori was before, it was double now. He wasn't a man without a conscience, and the memories of the time he... lost control... were feeling as raw now as the day it happened. Benimaru never trusted him again after that day. THEY forgave him for it... but only because they didn't have a choice. If Iori wasn't as important as he was, they'd probably hate his guts. Iori always dwelled on that.
Thus, when he approached the boy, and saw his cheeks straining under an eager grin, it felt nothing but fake to him. How? How could this boy SMILE at him... after what he did to him and...?!
"Quit smiling at me, dude." Iori snorted. "Let's just get this over with."
Shingo just laughed. "Aw cmon Yag, why you gotta be like that, man? Let's have a ball! I've been waiting for this moment ever since I got here!"
Iori did a double take. "Wait... what?"
Shingo folded his arms, a smug grin plastered on his face. "It's true. You may not believe me but... I got exactly what I wanted."
This kid: how could he just get stupider and stupider?! He's obviously taken too many blows to the head at a tender age, because he's actually implying...!
"So let me get this straight." Iori spoke with a cocked eyebrow. "You're telling me... YOU... wanted to fight... ME."
"Duh!" Shingo laughed. "Why do you think I've been trying to get near you all week? To study you!"
Iori facepalmed.
"Ah, but Beni's been there to slap my hand every time. Says you're too dangerous to be around. Pssshaw."
"You should listen to Beni more." Iori grunted. "Shingo... h-he's right. Look, Kyo is one thing. He can handle me just fine. But you... I'm not... I'm not safe for-"
"Shut up."
His voice changed so suddenly.
"Wha...?"
The brazenness in Shingo's tone sent a shock in Iori, enough to make him lean back a little. He looked in the kid's eyes; they had grown so intense. Was this even the same guy?
"Listen up and listen good, Iori Yagami." Shingo pointed. "You owe me. I'm not leaving Germany until you've paid your due. Now, we can beat around the bush and sugarcoat and try to forget about what happened at XI... but facts are facts. It's still inside you. It's still inside me, Kyo, Beni... and it's not gonna go away. Not until we fight it out. Not until we POUND it out of us, right here, right now, man to man!"
He kept going, stepping forth, cracking his knuckles. "We're gonna square off right now, fair and square. No Riot bullshit. No Sacred Treasure, Orochi crap. I punch you, you punch me... and we walk out of here with the past behind us, once and for all. Deal?"
Before Iori was even battle-ready, Shingo stepped forward... and came across his face with a left hook.
The entire Stadium let out a collective gasp, as Iori stumbled backwards, face frozen like a deer in headlights. He slowly brought a hand to his chin, rubbing his jaw... and he cut his eyes to the zealous youth.
"...So you're serious eh? Let's rock."
FIGHT!
Shingo rushed in and clocked him with another... another...! Two clean hooks landed on Iori, and the redhaired man seemed like he was still in pre-battle preparations.
Shingo came in with another hard swing... and that's when Iori fought back. The redhead closed in and brought his forearm up, stopping Shingo's arm from reaching the propulsion it needed to swing. With his free hand, he snatched Shingo by his white t-shirt, and drove a knee into the stomach of his captured opponent.
Shingo immediately recoiled, damaged by the hit, and Iori took advantage; he dug his other hand into Shingo's shirt, clutching the fabric so fiercely, he nearly tore it from the kid's torso. With one hard yank, he sidestepped and sent Shingo's entire body weight tumbling down to the ground.
Shingo tried to roll away... but Iori was a vicious predator. He dipped low, and POUNCED on Shingo, meeting him in the dirt, achieving a full mount instantly. He postured up, and started tearing into the kid with repeated left elbow strikes, while using his right hand to keep Shingo pinned down by his neck.
Two...three... four... Shingo's forehead opened up on the fourth strike, and he felt his blood began to pool to the surface... the crazy kid just smiled. It was enough to throw Iori off his game.
Shingo brought his arm against the left side of Iori's neck, and used it to shove his head sideways, providing a small bit of range he needed to buck his hips, and slip his legs out from Iori's mount. Iori was finally pushed off to the side, and Shingo broke free and returned to his feet.
They both stepped in the pocket; Iori pounded him with a right cross, but Shingo's fist flew at the exact same moment, nailing Iori in the ribs. Shingo took the worst of the exchange, visibly wobbled; the cut on his forehead also started trickling a red stream, directly down the middle of his face, like a line of symmetry.
Iori led the attack, pumping a left; Shingo shrugged it off, and countered with a left... no, a feint! Iori fell for it, and Shingo cracked him with a right hook. Iori cursed as he recoiled, and Shingo brought a leg up into his stomach as a follow-up. He finished his combo with a straight jab, finding Iori's jaw and putting him on the retreat.
"He's backing up Iori! Holy shit!" Shen Woo exclaimed.
Iori shook his head and went forward. Shingo tried to come in with a sloppy haymaker... Iori threw an uppercut right down the middle, blasting Shingo's head north, literally lifting the kid's feet off the ground a few inches. Somehow, Shingo managed to touch the ground again and stay standing, but he was wobbled...
SLASH SLASH!
The audience gasped a second time, as Iori showed he truly meant BUSINESS: two fresh claw marks riddled Shingo's torso, ruining yet another t shirt of his, and giving the white a fresh coat of red. Shingo hunched over in pain, as Iori's fingers had clearly rended the skin... thankfully, the redhead held back, and it was little worse than a cat scratch.
Nonetheless, the stinging pain of open flesh froze Shingo in his tracks, making him hunch over to clutch his midsection.. and Iori finished his combo by raising his arm and hammering it on the back of Shingo's head, dropping the boy on his face.
"You used your claws on him?!" Benimaru hissed. "You son of a...!"
Shingo got back up, groaning, furiously rubbing the fresh scratches. "Oww oww oww! Damn, dude... I was entertaining the thought of getting a pet, but you make me second guess myself. Arrrgh!"
"Go rub some ointment on it when this is over." Iori mocked. "Chiz'll hook you up. She has lots of 'me' remedies."
Shingo laughed, and stepped in, throwing a massive body hook; Iori sucked in his gut to take it, but it still hit HARD. Shingo followed up with a 1-2, finding Iori's face, and a body kick smoothly came after, battering his stomach.
"Shit, the kid's got some liquid smooth combos." Ryo observed. "He's really improved."
"It doesn't look at all like the guy who fought Jhun in the first round." King noted.
Shingo got overzealous and tried to throw a naked body kick; Iori caught it, and tucked the ankle under his armpit. With Shingo hopping on one foot, Iori was able to easily control him, and set him up for a free hit...
"Hrrragh!" Iori leaped up, planting his foot in Shingo's face with a drop kick, sending the both of them tumbling to the ground. As they hit dirt at the same time, Iori still had Shingo's foot captured, keeping their bodies in close proximity; he simply lifted his foot and brought a heel smashing down on Shingo's stomach, a free ground attack before rolling backwards and returning to his feet.
It took longer for Shingo to get back up; when he finally did, he was still clutching his middle. Iori had clearly done good damage there.
"DON'T KEEP YOUR HEAD LOW, SHINGO!" Beni coached.
But it was too late; Iori saw opportunity when it was there, and he fired a knee into Shingo's lowered jaw, putting the kid on his hands and knees. Shingo slung dirt as he scampered away on all fours, doing a sloppy roll to create distance... but it worked nonetheless.
Iori gave him no breathing space; he closed in and swung at him with a left, but Shingo ducked under it and threw his body against Iori's, putting them in a clinch. Shingo didn't really know what to do here, so he started ramming short fists into Iori's stomach, a little dirty boxing to try and soften him up.
Iori, much more experienced, turned it into a takedown; hooking his left leg around Shingo's calf, he swept the leg and seized the boy's neck, jerking him downwards and planting the boy on his back.
Iori's body punch was MUCH more brutal; he had freedom to cock his arm all the way back... and bring it crashing down into Shingo's gut like a falling meteor.
"Urrrrghhhhhhhhh..!" Shingo wheezed, as his body seized up from the tremendous impact.
Iori lowered himself, until he was eye to eye with the kid. "Stay down. You're done."
Shingo grimaced as he struggled to look back, without closing his eyes in pain... but he finally opened them... and smiled.
"Does THIS look done to you?!"
He shot his foot out and kicked Iori in the ankle, dropping the man like felling a tree.
"What the HELL?!" Iori growled as he hit the ground, and had to roll rapidly to the side to get away.
He thought he had time to get up, but he turned around... Shingo was already in his face. An uppercut hit Iori's chin flush: the redhaired man froze.
"IORI'S HURT!" Yuri gasped.
Shingo literally flew at Iori, arm cocked back, with a Superman punch, blasting him in the face and sending his feet into a drunken stupor.
"Holy shit..." Iori spat. "Am I gonna f***ing lose this?!"
...That's when he felt it. He heard it... his own heartbeat, loud, violent... ringing in his ears. It pounded so hard against his chest, he felt the vibrations in his sternum. His eyes began to sting, like massive pressure building in the tiny blood vessels...
"No... no..."
KILL...KILL...
No. This was not... this was NOT happening.
Mature and Vice sensed it immediately; a shared smile on their lips, as their hands interlaced.
"It finally-"
"-Begins."
Iori coughed a few times, his hand to his mouth. He was scared to look down, to see what his closed palm contained...but it was no use. He could already see it spilling out the side, drizzling through the crevasses of his fingers...
Blood.
THE TIME DRAWS NEAR, MY SERVANT... YOU CAN'T LOSE HERE. THERE'S FAR TOO MUCH TO DO.
"Shut the f*** up, Riot." Iori dismissed it, and returned to Shingo.
They closed in again. Shingo attempted a left: Iori parried it and fired back with a right. Shingo took it on the shoulder and fired a harmless thigh kick. It didn't stop Iori, as he tried to go to the body with a left, but Shingo caught it and brought a knee into Iori's midsection. It hit a little too high on the chest, so it didn't hurt Iori, but it sent him back a step.
In a weird, mind-reading moment, they both attempted an axe kick at the same time: the end result were their feet crossing, and the gravity knocking them both to the ground. They both rolled backwards, springing back up.
Iori snarled as he rushed in with a left... his heart pounded, and he felt blood rising to his throat:
STOP SCREWING WITH THIS KID... KILL HIM! SPREAD HIS GUTS ACROSS THE WALLS!
"Sh-shut up...!"
Shingo's "fight brain" was so focused, he didn't really sense Iori talking to himself. He thought the blood was from cracking him in the mouth, so he kept going as normal; a left hook to Iori's chin made more red spill from his lips.
"Hohohohoooly shit!' Shingo giggled with excitement. "I'm doing SO good right now...!"
Iori had a choice to make. A new sense of desperation washed over him like a crashing wave; he had to end this fight, someway, somehow.
He could end it... right now! But Chizuru would be mad if he-
...Screw it. The protection of the people was most important. If he was a threat to others, he was a threat.
Sorry Chiz... you and that old Kusanagi crone will have to handle the Hakkeshu.
"Shingo!" Iori stood tall and clear, hands down at his sides, posture upright. "I forfei-"
A fist rattled his cheek before he could finish the statement.
"H-hey!" Iori growled, taking a step back, arms up in defense. "Didn't you hear me? I said I forfei-ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuufffffffffffff...!"
Shingo ripped him to the body, doubling the man over. Whatever word Iori was going to say, was expelled from his mouth in a loose, airy gasp.
"I know what you're tryin to say." Shingo declared, his face intense. "And I'm not letting you say it. No easy way out of this one, Yaggo!"
Dammit... the kid was making things more complicated. Iori forcefully shoved his hand against his own chest, so hard he nearly caved in his own sternum, just to feel like he could quell the hearbeat... but it pounded... POUNDED... more violently by the second...!
"Urrgh... gghaah..."
RED...
Shingo rushed him with a swift body/head combination; Iori defended them, and Shingo fired a roundhouse at the end, which Iori slapped away.
RED...
"Dammit Shingo, this is beyond us now! I can't...uggh... I can't be here!" Iori tried to reason.
Shingo wasn't listening. "Be a man and keep it inside, Iori! I know you can do it!"
EVERYTHING RED!
Shingo took a deep step back, cocking his arm... with a grin, he charged at Iori and threw a haymaker, so wild his own foot flew upwards behind him. This was a knockout blow for sure...
Iori caught the fist.
"Wha-?"
Shingo looked into his eyes... and saw a vengeful Iori staring back. The redhaired man bared bloodthirsty fangs...
"RRRRRRRRRGH!" Iori threw his arm aside and rammed both fists into Shingo's stomach at once.
Shingo's face froze, the pain paralyzing him to the nerves. "A...gh...ghaa..."
Iori dug his fingers into Shingo's shirt and lifted...until he was holding the boy high above his head. He snarled, as purple embers began to float upwards, slowly growing into a violet miasma around him...
"RRRRRGHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"
He let loose an animalistic roar as he tore his hands free of Shingo's shirt, and the kid's body EXPLODED in a brilliant flash of purple, spraying smoke and embers far enough to hit the sidelines.
The boy's scream was never heard. His body wasn't seen, at least until the thick smokescreen around him faded away... but when it was all said and done, Shingo Yabuki lay deadweight on the ground, eyes closed, skin blackened with soot, wearing nothing but boxers. Pieces of scorched clothing floated around him, like fireflies.
WINNER: IORI YAGAMI
"Sorry, kid." Iori spoke softly as he wiped his mouth. "I had to get you out of there."
Benimaru was out there faster than a lightning bolt. He shoved Iori aside, not stopping to even look at him, as he ran over to tend to the fallen boy.
"Dammit Iori, you couldn't have gone easier on him?" he cursed, still not looking up at him.
Iori's lip curled. "He didn't give me a chance! I wanted to f***ing quit!"
"Then you should've let him knock you out!"
Iori rolled his eyes as he gathered his discarded coat. "Forget it. Not worth the time, not worth the concussion protocol."
With a dramatic donning of his coat, he swayed it through the air behind him and departed the scene. His destination: OUT of the Stadium. Far away, where he could seclude himself. Meditate. Bring himself down. This was too close a call... the Orochi seal must be peanut brittle...
Thus, Iori Yagami, two days into the tournament, at last gave himself a purpose: to win not for personal glory, or money... but to not be a threat to himself or others. He would defeat the Hakkeshu, so they would quit spreading their toxic influence over a world that had seen turmoil too many times. Benimaru said it best: he made his choice back there. He chose not to lose.
"Iori!" Chizuru caught up to him, and embrace him from behind. He stopped. "Are you okay?"
Chizuru expected Iori to fight back... but the man simply allowed it. She was surprised to see no aggression from his body, no struggle. He was... calm?
"You win, Chiz." he simply replied, and gently pried her arms free to walk away. Chizuru was left standing there, confused.
Almost at the exit...
Iori was setting a brisk pace. The quicker he got out of here and got to a shower, the better off he'd be. Would a cold shower help? Those were supposed to quell the horny, not the... maniacal. Maybe Riot was horny for killing. Twisted logic, but still logic nonetheless. Cold shower it is.
His face soured with displeasure as he was seconds away from the lobby, only to meet two head-throbbing obstacles. They were standing in disgusting symmetry, grinning at him with those sumptuous eyes.
"Hey Yaggy~"
"How ya feeling~?"
"Move." Iori gave that simple command, and kept walking forward. They instead tightened their formation, preventing him escape.
"We saw what happened back there." Mature started.
"We saw that look in your eyes." Vice kept going.
"How thrilling~!"
"Now we can REALLY have some fun~"
Iori officially heard enough. Placing one hand on Mature's scalp, one on Vice's, he dug into their hair follicles and flung them aside. "Shut the FUCK up... or I swear by all the religions, you won't make it to your next fight."
Mature and Vice helped each other up with a shared grimace, rubbing their respective heads... but as soon as Iori was out of sight... those twisted smiles returned to their lips.
"Fufufufufufu... I love when he's angry like that."
"Kukukukukuku... we need to do whatever we can to cultivate that, and get him really going."
"Those Heavenly idiots think they're the ones that will break the seal... but we have the ace in the hole, right in our hands."
"Our precious Iori will be the catalyst to complete the resurrection. And when this world of filthy people finally taste damnation... nothing will be left but us."
"You, me... and our boy."
"Our world."
"Nobody-"
"-Else's."
What a mess of a chapter. I hated every word of it. Well, not really LOL. I just wish I were a better writer, who knew how to do drama better than dot dot dots, onomatopoeias, and funny laughs and grunts. Ah well. I guess you've stuck around this long, so it works :D
NEXT CHAPTER: Intermission. I'm sorry to do this, but before the final four fights of Round 2, we have to address some things happening on the outside. Freeman, Mary, Terry and friends, Adelheid's current whereabouts, stuff like that. We'll get through this together.
Until next time!