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King of Fighters II
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King of Fighters '95
A solitary figure saunters through the darkness. This is Eiji Kisaragi, and after he takes a few more steps onward, out of nowhere pounces Billy Kane.
The two square off against each other, and just when it appears that they are about to knock each other out, Kisaragi brings his fist to a stop before Billy's forehead.
BILLY: "...Why, didn't you hit me?"
KISARAGI: "Because you refrained from smashing my Adam's apple with your cudgel."
Billy's cudgel rests right in front of Kisaragi's throat. The two slowly separate.
KISARAGI: "Phew. So you, I presume, must be Billy Kane. What business do you have with me?"
BILLY: "Whew. Hold on a second, there's one other person I'd like you to meet...!"
And as if on cue, a pale blue flame shoots between the two.
KISARAGI: "What the...! What manner of being is this!"
A figure slowly emerges from the darkness, dragging the apparently lifeless form of a man whose blood-streaked head he grasps in his hand.
YAGAMI: "Heh, heh, heh...What fools these mortals be.... I don't know what this clown thought he was doing, but he apparently believed he could handle me...."
Having said his piece, Yagami tosses the man in his grip at Billy's feet.
The man Yagami has just rendered useless, in fact, is one of Geese's most trusted assassins.
YAGAMI: "Calling me to this place really took some stones, and this was some salutation.... So, which of you is going to be the first to die?"
BILLY: "Hmph. You conceited crud. I give you a sardine to catch and you treat it like a marlin...You watch yourself, junior!"
Billy readies his three-jointed cudgel, but overpowered by some unearthly force, he finds himself unable to move.
BILLY: "W-what the...?"
Billy feels as though he sees a strange presence behind the slowly approaching Yagami.
BILLY: "S-stopping me dead in my tracks...just who are you...?!"
YAGAMI: "Me? Why I'm..."
Yagami summons up flames in the palm of his hand.
YAGAMI: "I am...Iori...Yagami."
KISARAGI: "Did you say...Yagami?!"
BILLY: "Yagami...! Could it be? ...This punk?!"
YAGAMI: "...Die!"
BILLY: "Wait!"
Billy's plea breaks the tense mood.
BILLY: "That's the stuff! You two are more than I'd hoped for!"
KISARAGI: "What? What's going on here?!"
Billy whips out an invitation to this year's King of Fighters.
BILLY: "Take a gander at this!"
YAGAMI: "...An invitation to King of Fighters. So what...?"
BILLY: "Naturally, we're going to enter. We're going to be a team! How about it?! You two have got nothing to lose, right...?"
YAGAMI: "...The King of Fighters, eh...? Of course Kyo Kusanagi will be there.... Hmm.... Sounds interesting. It may be just the opportunity to crush that little bug...."
KISARAGI: "Hmm, indeed. A perfect chance to set things straight with those Kyokugen clowns, too...."
BILLY: "OK. Well, there you have it...!"
YAGAMI: "Very well. But I've just got this to say: Don't you dare look on me as an ally. You're nothing but means to an end; that's all you are and nothing more to me."
KISARAGI: "Indubitably. My sentiments exactly! Until we meet at KOF, farewell!"
The two take their leave.
BILLY: "Wah, ha, ha, Geese. All the pawns have been put into place. Hah, hah, hah!"
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King of Fighters '96
A man meditates in the midst of a dilapidated old temple. The man has not stirred in the slightest for hours on end.
The man breaks his silence and suddenly speaks.
"What do you want...?"
A shadowy figure moves in response to his voice.
"Hoo, hoo, hoo.... Just as I expected of you, Iori Yagami. I thought I had succeeded in making myself undetectable, but you sensed me, didn't you?"
It is a woman's voice.
YAGAMI: "Enough excuses. Just what do you want with me?"
The woman that has melted into a shadows continues to talk.
WOMAN: "Hmph. Don't rush me. It has to do with the King of Fighters."
YAGAMI: "The King of Fighters? ...So what does that have to do with me?"
WOMAN: "You probably know that the King of Fighters will be held this year, but what are your plans?"
YAGAMI: "Bah! My only desire is to slay Kyo Kusanagi! There's no reason to go to the trouble of entering that pomp and circumstance."
WOMAN: "Oh, even if Kyo Kusanagi will be there?"
YAGAMI: "Hmph, the farce like last time was enough for me."
WOMAN: "Are you afraid of Kyo Kusanagi, perhaps?"
Yagami immediately responds with a fierce frown.
YAGAMI: "...You bug me. ...Die!"
Just as Yagami mumbles this, he unleashes his Exorcism move in the direction of the voice.
But the flames of his move have no effect and fizzle out to no avail.
YAGAMI: "What?!"
Just as Yagami realizes it, the woman appears above and pounces.
WOMAN: "!"
But Yagami's mouth contorts with a faint smile and he lets his Fire Ball fly.
YAGAMI: "Gaaaaah!"
The woman just manages to guard against it, flying back in retreat with a toothy grin.
YAGAMI: "Now I get it...there're two of you...."
Another woman, different from the one who flew back in retreat, jams a dagger in the small of his back.
WOMAN: "The jig's up! Iori Yagami!"
The woman in front of Yagami rises slowly and walks toward him.
WOMAN: "Pardon the late introduction. I'm Vice, and..."
The woman behind Yagami speaks.
WOMAN: "I am Mature. It's a pleasure...but if this all the legendary Iori Yagami is capable of, there was no need for us to deal with this."
Yagami lets out a sudden derisive laugh upon hearing this.
YAGAMI: "Wah, hah, hah.... You didn't realize I was just testing you out? What a couple of simpletons.
VICE: "How dare you?!"
In an instant, Mature and Vice's blouses begin to burn, turn to ash, and drop to the floor.
MATURE: "...!"
VICE: "Yeech!"
Mature realizes what has happened, pulls back the dagger pressed against Yagami, and flees back in retreat.
MATURE: "...He saw right through us, in more ways than one...."
YAGAMI: "Just who are you two. What are you up to? Depending on the circumstances, you may just die here."
Yagami generates an overwhelming aura of menace and assumes the position to slowly unleash his Rage of 8 Maidens move.
MATURE: "Gah...!"
VICE: "...! W-wait! We didn't mean any disrespect. But...."
YAGAMI: "But, what?!"
MATURE: "Iori Yagami. We'd like you to team up with us and enter the King of Fighters tournament."
Yagami slowly stands down from his pose for the Rage of 8 Maidens.
YAGAMI: "Me, team up with you two? Hmph, if you want that, then tell me your objective."
MATURE: "Objective? ...Our objective is...none other than you."
YAGAMI: "None other than me?!"
VICE: "That's right...We wish to serve you...."
Mature slowly slips an arm around Yagami.
YAGAMI: "Hmph, so now you try seduction...? Hah, hah, hah.... Very well.... My only objective is to kill Kyo Kusanagi. If you serve that end, then I'll use you as I please. Mind you...don't forget that I'm the one who will kill Kyo."
MATURE: "Yes, very well."
YAGAMI: "Then we have nothing more to talk about. You're boring me now. Shove off!"
MATURE: "Hoo, hoo, hoo... I'm looking forward to the competition. Later...Iori...Yagami...."
Mature and Vice vanish in an instant.
YAGAMI: "Hmph. Vixens. Did you honestly think I didn't realize who you were...? Fine.... Should you fail to serve my needs, you'll become my sacrifice.... Wah, hah, hah...Prepare yourself for your final day...Kyo Kusanagi!!! Wah, ha, ha, ha!
Iori Yagami's laugh peals through the ancient temple.
The women stand at the foot of the stone stairway to the ancient temple where Yagami has taken up residence. They appear to be trying to contact someone.
MATURE: "Yes, we've made contact with Iori Yagami. ...He's a suitable successor to the Yagami name. He's just as powerful as Kyo Kusanagi, perhaps even moreso.... Yes, I understand. Everything is playing out according to our scenario. Relax."
The line goes dead.
The two smile bewitchingly...
...and disappear into the darkness.
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King of Fighters '97
Red hair and red spandex pants.... One look would make one think they were looking at a some pop musician.
But this man gives credence to the saying that you can't judge a book by its cover. There's something more to him than meets the eye.
Even in his drenched clothes, the man's eyes glare fiercely. Just what are his eyes, gleaming with a magical light, gazing upon...?
The man stops abruptly before a giant LCD display.
"...And the regular entrants for King of Fighters '97 are as follows."
"......."
The man begins to leave. But the contents of the broadcast thereafter make him stop in his tracks.
"...The for the Japanese team, Kyo Kusanagi, Benimaru Nikaido, and Goro Daimon are slated to enter. Iori Yagami is also scheduled to enter as a seeded competitor...."
"!?"
The man laughs when his own name is read.
"Heh, heh, Kagura. So this is all her work.... And Kyo...once again you plan to enter this silly tournament...?"
Muttering this, the man takes his leave.
Strong feelings of hate seize the man's soul. A hate that almost assumes the quality of pleasure throbs in his body.
Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate....
Hate. Hate. Hate....
"Goo-aaah...."
The man begins to moan.
"Hoo, hoo...."
From somewhere the sound of laughter filters into the man's ears.
"Who is it...?"
"Iori...It seems you still cannot defeat Kyo...Hoo, hoo, hoo...."
Out of the darkness float a pair of glowing eyes.
"Hmph, so it's you?"
All of a sudden, the presence appears at the man's feet and squirms. There are two women. Unfamiliar faces. Strangely, the two women crawl naked along the ground. And their slippery movements resemble those of serpents.
"Hoo, hoo, you've outlived your time...."
"Hoo, hoo...if that's all you're capable of, Kyo will most certainly defeat you...."
"Silence!"
Bwaagh!
He unleashes his "Exorcism" move. The blue flames, however, pass through the two without effect.
"Whoo, hooo, hoo...Iori...we'll meet again...you know where...you know when...."
The woman disappear into the darkness along with their fading laughter.
"Whoo, hoo, hoo, Kyo! Thanks to you I'm seeing monsters now!"
The man lets out a scream.
"Kyo-ohhhhhhhhh!"
Creeeeeeeeak!
The man rises from his bed.
"Wheez...wheez...."
The man looks around. There is nothing in the room. Yes, there is nothing else but his bed in this room. It's the usual vacant room, containing nothing....
"...A dream...Wah, gaaack!"
The man coughs. He looks at the hand he brought to his mouth, and notices blood spattered on his palm. Not wishing to trouble himself with wiping it off, the man simply lies back down on the bed. He then looks up at the dirty ceiling above him.
"Hmph, Kyo, you and our destiny...who will be the first to fall...?"
A pale smile comes over the man's lips.
Woo-hah, hah, hah! Kyo! Your voice! Your face! More than anyone! More than anyone in the world! The thing I hate most of all is you! Kyo! My only desire! My only desire is your defeat!!! Hah, hah, hah!!!"
The man laughs.
The pathetic laughter fills the room and continues interminably.
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King of Fighters '99
The sound of something covered in a sticky liquid being dragged by something becomes audible.
Following after it, a group of men see a crooked, bright red line trailing down the corridor for a considerable distance.
"Stop!"
The pursuers stand fast with guns drawn.
The man looks back.
"Are you talking to me...?"
There's no response to the man's query.
"Whatever, but you will answer my question. Where is he?"
There is no answer. They pull out more guns instead.
"Hmph..."
Indifferent to the threat, the man begins to walk away. The men train their guns on him.
"!!!"
It all happens in an instant.
A heavy lump reeking of blood is tossed before the men who are about to pull the triggers to their guns.
The mound of meat appears to be a colleague of theirs.
Next, a wind blows through the corridor.
The wind that cradles something heavy and sharp grazes the face of one and the stomach of the other as it mows by them.
In that instant, the men stroked by the wind each let out the highest, most pitiful scream they have ever uttered in their lives.
An alarm rings out.
The man shows no sign of stopping.
He easily deals with the men who appear before him, attempting to block his way.
When he's finished, another pile of hunks of pungent blood and flesh stack up on the floor.
And then something explodes behind him.
The whole area turns into a sea of flames.
The man proceeds unflinchingly forward. The flames that block him are mown aside by blue flames he shoots from his fist.
A figure appears from the swept-away flames. A smile comes to the man's face.
"So, you're here after all? ...Let's see what you're made of!!!"
Just when he appears to turn his back on the man...
"Eat this! Goo-ohhhhh!"
The distance between the man and the shadow is closed in an instant.
The fist enveloped in flame is knocked up to the shadow's head. The sound of breaking bones can be heard.
"You're not him!"
Feeling a strange sensation, he moves the hand to his neck.
The flames reach their apex. The figure that was once there is now a flaming mass.
"No! Where? ...Where is he?!"
A door stands before the man who resumes his forward trek. He tosses away the hunk of goo and kicks down the door.
"Tsh!"
The same faces and forms of the previous figure are lined up in front of him. He's seen them before.
"What is this? Kyo...!"
He hears a voice from behind.
"Y-Yes, I'm certain. That man...! Y-ya-ya...gaaaah!"
Fingers dig deep into the man's throat and a disagreeable sound follows.
"You know, don't you? Where? Where is he?!"
"I-I-I...I don't!"
The man expires before he can answer.
He snatches a grenade from the dead man's equipment and tosses them at the queue of "Kyos".
The sound of a fierce explosion shakes the room, and the line of "Kyos" becomes a row of dark lumps of flesh.
"It's the same here, too.... Where?! Where is he?!!!"
He shoots flames at the mounds of flesh. The force of the stirred up flames increases and the sound of explosions reverberate through the room.
"Kyooooooooooooooooo-oh!"
His scream is loud enough to drown out the sounds of the explosions.
It is different from the scream that time he lost his mind.
The scream that surges up from the his diaphragm is that of one man and one alone: Iori Yagami.
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King of Fighters '00
Gazing up at the sun.
Without trying to avoid this, Iori does nothing but keep gazing up at the sun in the sky.
Same as ever, he is unable to find the whereabouts of Kyo. But they will meet.
Pursuing a premonition that resembles certainty, he has become stronger.
Right before he covers his eyes, the clouds in the sky hide the sun.
When he returns his glance to the ground, warning bells go off instinctively in Iori.
"...!"
...An enemy. It isn't Kyo. But he has come across this sensation before.
When and where was it? He tries to pick out from his memory the place where he sensed this same sensation.
His instincts sharpen his senses, further accelerating the speed of his thinking.
His temperature rises and his body begins to ready himself for combat.
It gradually draws near, but he has focused on the sensation he must aim for.
A number of men among the passing throng of people do not blink.
He feels another similar sensation a short distance from him.
Simultaneously, a vague memory becomes clear to him
"NESTS...A bunch of lackeys..."
What is even more interesting to Iori is that he determines that the person following him is keeping his distance while other men closer to him are focusing not on him but another target.
Who are they pursuing? ...The answer stands right in front of Iori.
It is a woman.
To Iori, this is just another female. But the pursuers close in with the woman at the center.
It would be no problem to let them go about their business. But it sure would make a sorry sight.
The lackeys make their way past Iori. Iori is easily able to sense the tension his enemies feel toward him.
He drops his shoulders.
He is right on top of them.
With his back to them, Iori extends an arm to a man on the left with his back to him in a similar manner.
Along with a dull thud, all things linked together separate at once and he feels the sensation of further breakage.
The feeling goes through his fingers and directly stimulates his instincts.
"Let's have a little fun, then."
Iori says this with an expression that's even icier than any he's issued before.
Looking over the shoulder of his limp victim, he can see that the remaining thugs are turning and coming toward him.
Besides that, the position of the gaze he previously felt continues to focus on him.
Iori ignores the feeling that he's being watched along with the crow and runs toward his prey, using the man he just dropped as a shield. In seconds he closes in on the men.
What one of the men sees is the spectacle of his friends closing in on him for an instant, followed by the ground far below him, and the people standing there looking up at him.
The weak thud of the man falling from a height of less then two meters is heard.
The vacant space begins to grow at the center of the crowd around where the unfamiliar thud of the man was heard.
As the remaining men continue to overtake the woman, Iori frantically attempts to chase them down.
Before they can ready themselves for the onslaught, a similar dull thud is heard.
Just one more to go.
Iori makes a beeline for the woman.
The woman is bewildered at the situation around her. When she turns to survey the situation, Iori appears in her field of vision.
The man who's clearly out of his element heads her way-directly at her.
Like a snake enthralled by a frog, his body does not move. In no time they are squaring off against each other.
"You're being followed."
Iori's words come as a complete surprise to the woman.
Looking at Iori who is fixing his attentions behind him, the woman confirms for the first time the fact that someone is pursuing her.
The two parties continue to stare each other down with the woman sandwiched in between Iori and her pursuers.
Iori can't help noticing the smiles that momentarily twist the men's faces.
In the direction where the men had looked and smiled, he catches the other figure who had been focusing on him.
"So this is where you were."
The words and Iori's actions occur simultaneously. Iori scoops up the woman and crouches down.
The woman is unaware of what is happening, confused by Iori's sudden actions.
But at the moment she was scooped up she was sure she heard the sound of a gunshot.
"Get out of here. If you don't want to die."
His words are neither a threatening or coercive. They were just something Iori uttered to her indifferently.
Behind her she can see the figures of the men breaking off and slowly leaving.
The woman realizes that the gunshot was not just in her imagination.
The woman heads for no place in particular. Iori rises up and pursues the direction he heard with his eyes from the place where a man lies.
Far off in the distance he sees a man holding a rifle with a scope.
Iori matches his line of vision with the direction the shooter's scope is pointed.
He faces his body toward the gun and takes a step forward. Whether he is confirming Iori's movements or not, the man lowers his gun and runs off.
"Excuse me..."
Iori looks back in the direction of the voice. The woman has waited for Iori, the though of escaping never occurring once to her.
"Thank you. It looks like you saved my life."
"It wasn't my intention."
The woman continues, unfazed at Iori's response.
"You are a strong one, aren't you? You resemble someone I know."
"Resemble someone? Me?"
Iori feels drawn to what she says. The woman remains unaware of the change in Iori's heartbeat.
"I haven't seen him in quite a while, though...."
Why was NESTS pursuing this woman? Why did she come across me?
The dots just don't match up. It must be, this is his girl.
"Do you think I'd be able to meet this person?"
"Pardon?"
Iori turns his back on the bewildered girl and begins to leave.
"I think it can be arranged."
His feet stop. The woman calls to him from behind.
"He always keeps his promise. I guarantee it."
The woman is unable to see the expression on Iori's face.
Without responding to the woman's words, Iori vanishes into the crowd.
Gazing up at the sun.
In spite of such an incident, nothing unusual or frightening remains.
Maybe it was because she sensed the same "smell" from the man who saved her and the other familiar man she knows who resembles him.
Yuki gazes up at the sun in which Kyo's gloved hand appears, it is a sight she has temporarily forgotten.
It's been a long time since she's seen him.
Kyo, who left as he always did on that fateful day, has yet to arrive home.
The only thing that has returned to Yuki is Kyo's beat up glove she carries with her.
She doesn't believe he's dead. The groundless confidence grows stronger with each day.
Along with the events of this day, her belief now changes into something resembling certaintly.
The cloud cover breaks and the sun shines through.
Yuki puts the glove back into her bag and gazes up at the sky for a while. The sin glitters brightly.
"I'm waiting for you, Kyo."
Yuki begins to walk away as the sun continues to shine down on her.
Glaring up at the sun.
Kyo arrives at this place as if drawn her by some force.
The battle with the Orochi ended, this was to be the place that all would come to an end.
But everything has once again originated from this place.
This glove he had supposed to have lost was why they first met.
This scuffed and torn-up glove.
The light of the setting sun brings out all the scratches and tears on the sun that decorates his glove.
Each of these scratches and tears appear now to be a part of his very being.
He has not returned from that day. Until he settles his score with NESTS, he cannot go back.
Kyo has reached this firm decision.
Kyo removes an envelope form his pocket. It is an invitation to KOF; from where it originates he does not know.
He is sure that here he can find the answers he seeks to a great many questions. At least there's some value in entering.
Soon all will be settled. And then he will be able to return home.
It appeared gradually, but it begins to light up glare with a light different from the sun.
Through the breaks in the clouds shine the rays of the moon. Unknown to him, the sun has already set.
As he gazes upon it, the clouds separate and the sky clears. A crescent moon appears in the sky.
It emits a strong glow disproportional to the space it takes up in the sky that illuminates Kyo.
The image of the man whose back is decorated with a crescent moon appears in Kyo's mind's eye.
"It won't be long."
Turning his back to the light of the sun, Kyo slowly begins to walk away.
It doesn't take long for him to melt into the darkness where the moon's rays do not reach.
The rays from the moon continue to pour down on the space where Kyo was standing, as if demanding for his return.
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King of Fighters '01
He has been followed for a long time.
But that is of no import to him.
If they come, he will crush them.
And that's all there is to it.
"Hmph. What a tremendous presence... Now I know why Benimaru was so on edge."
The man realizes he's been found out. The reason he knows this is because the red-haired man has gradually begun to head for more secluded alleyways.
When he approaches a shadowy blind alley, the red-haired man turns to face him.
"What...do you want...?"
Hearing his target's voice, the word "darkness" comes to Seth's mind. Darkness...the thing all humans fear primordially and continue to hate. Yes, this red-haired man seems to be "darkness" its very self.
Although there is a odious dryness in his mouth, Seth addresses the man.
"Iori...Yagami, is it? I've been looking for you...for quite a long time."
The area surrounding the confrontational Yagami begins to flicker as if it were shimmering with heat.
"Who are you?"
"Forgive me for my belated self-introduction. The name is Seth. It's a pleasure."
"...I don't care who you are...What's your business with me?"
"Pretty harsh ther, Yagami. Do you know that you've been invited to this year's King of Fighters?"
"...So, what's it to you?"
The surrounding space becomes even more violently warped. Seth feels like groaning within but continues to speak.
"If I told you that Kyo Kusanagi will be entering, what would you say to that?"
"Kyo Kusanagi?"
The expression on Yagami's face changes. The surrounding area simultaneously warps as if time and space were caving in on itself.
A normal human would probably have died suffering from these brutal emissions of Iori's psyche...the very power of Iori Yagami....
"...You're entering on my team...Did you know that?"
"...With you...?"
"That's right. And there are two more after that. ...So how about it?"
"...Yeah, I could enter with you...however...."
"What?"
"If you stand in my way, I'll crush you on the spot!"
Just then the wave of energy rushes like a violent gale from Yagami's body, causing Seth to involuntarily kneel on one knee.
An instant later, Seth looks up and notices the form of Yagami is no where to be found. Seth rises, revolves his neck around two or three times, and mutters...
"...Wow, that was intense. Can that guy be human?"
The amused voices of people enjoying themselves with the crashing of the waves can be heard all around.
It appears that it's another crowded day at the indoor pool. A scene that has little to do with combat fills the field of vision of a girl chatting on her cell phone.
"Yeah. I understand. I intend to meet you today, too. See you later."
She sprawls out on her mat after she hangs up.
"Ah, this is the life..."
She lays down her splendid limbs. A group of men begin to gather around her, transfixed by her charms. But she appears to be completely indifferent to their gaze as if dismissing the gaze of these men, and fends off their propositions.
"Wow! Now that's quite a view."
Emerging from the group of men, a single man calls to her in a particularly loud voice. The group of men assume he's intending to claim the girl as his own, but nonetheless scatter and disappear, overwhelmed by the man's well-sculpted physique.
"You've still got it."
"Oh, when did you get here, Ramon?"
The woman rises up and drinks from a glass of juice as she sits down in a chair.
"Well, when Vanessa calls, and we'll always have last year's tournament, too."
"Ooh, it gives me tingles when you put it that way. Well, I know it's a little out of the blue, but we decided on the final member of our team for this tournament."
"Oh, really. Who may that be?"
"Iori Yagami."
Ramon screws up his face when he hears Yagami's name.
"That's quite a big-shot addition...Hope we can handle him."
"Well, I think we'll manage something, don't you? And he does have more than enough of the power we require."
Vanessa purrs, pouring some more juice into her glass as she looks back toward Ramon.
"Well, I don't care...."
Ramon motions to receive the glass.
"By the way, what time is it now...Oh, no! The press conference is going to start! Vaya con dios; until we meet at the tournament!"
Ramon disappears in a flash, without even drinking his juice.
"Oh, you're always in such a rush...Well, so it goes. Things look like they're going to get interesting."
Vanessa gulps down her juice and makes her exit.
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King of Fighters '03
The figure of her elder sister, presumed murdered, is always nearby.
This is not expressing things poetically. Those who were to head the House of Kagura were always meant to be these female identical twins - Chizuru and Maki Kagura.
In the windows of buildings, in a car's rearview mirror, in a city shop's show window, even on the surface of a pond - Chizuru's own reflection was the spitting image of her departed sister, with lavish and long hair tied in back, its length flowing down to her waist, and that same distinctive bearing.
"Yagami...Uh, begging your pardon, Master Yasakani has arrived."
"And Kyo Kusanagi?"
"He has yet to grace us with his presence."
"Really, that is exquisite. It would be highly unlikely for those two to meet cordially with each other anyway, don't you think?"
Chizuru Kagura responds from the other side of a shoji screen. Her sigh dissipates into the air of this building that suggests a grand and tranquil Shinto shrine.
"Please tell him that I will be right there."
"Wouldn't it be preferable to let him wait a tad longer?"
"Whatever for?"
"......"
"If you're worrying about me, I'm fine. I've just been a little fatigued recently - that's all."
"Then I suppose I have nothing to worry about."
"I'm fine.... Yes, quite fine."
* * * * *
When he leaves the grand entrance of the Kagura house, Iori Yagami refuses the car waiting for him, ignores those seeing him off, and hoofs it out the gate.
The cobblestone road running through this neighborhood of established families is paved with well-beveled stones, and not only is it well-kempt it is regularly rinsed to keep it immaculate.
But Yagami, oblivious to his elegant surroundings, continues to press on homeward.
With his well-tempered body poised, his red hair complements the keen glint in his eyes.
(Bah!)
As he remembers the previous discussion at the Kagura house, an inexpressible anger with no target to unleash it on wells up within him.
After a five-minute walk, he reaches a railway that cuts through the rows of old houses.
His gaze sets upon a lone figure astride a motorcycle on the other side of the train tracks.
Yagami freezes to a halt.
The man wears a helmet with a full-face visor, making it impossible to discern his identity.
But for Yagami, there's no question as to who this person is.
(......)
The two stand motionless on opposite sides of the track. Only the motorcycle's engine dares to make a sound, producing a low and well-regulating purr.
Before long a train nears and warning bells ring out.
The yellow and black colored railroad crossing gate slowly descends between the two.
The man on the motorcycle raises a hand to the visor of his helmet.
At the instant Iori thinks he can make out the rider's face, the train rushes between them.
(It's him all right.)
That instant was all that was needed.
Another train passes by from the opposite direction, and although the line of vision remains obstructed, Iori needs no further confirmation.
When the trains pass on, the figure of the motorcycle rider is nowhere to be seen.
Iori can make out the noise of a motorcycle engine fading away in the distance.
(Who'd believe me teaming up with that clown? Bah!)
Yagami's face, bordered by his red bangs, breaks into a, for want of a better word, "smile."
History, deprecation, cynicism, hate, madness, disdain, and fate.
A variety of inexpressible emotions fill Yagami's soul when he faces off against his nemesis. The only thing that can expunge these overwhelming emotions he finds impossible to handle is the act of fighting.
* * * * *
"So you haven't been riding recently I gather, have you?"
Kyo Kusanagi, led into the inner rooms of the Kagura estate, poses this question to his host as he comes face to face with Chizuru.
Kyo had noticed two bikes left idle next to him as he parked his motorcycle.
They were carefully maintained, but he could tell that no one had used them for quite a while.
"No, not recently. You haven't changed, I see."
"I wish I could say so. I've had quite a lot on my plate recently."
Chizuru kneels before him with impeccable posture. For Chizuru, who sits perfectly still, this is the manner of natural dignity befitting the leader of the House of Kagura. But in all honesty, Chizuru is not exactly Kyo's cup of tea.
"I saw Yagami just a few minutes ago."
"......Oh, really?"
"So, to what do I owe the pleasure this time? What pressing matter would call for you to simultaneously summon not just me but Yagami as well to your humble abode?
"It appears that I should just be frank with you."
"You can be whoever you want, just give it to me straight."
"I would like you to join the "Three Divine Vessels" team in this years King of Fighters tournament. That would mean the three of us 社 Me. Kyo Kusanagi, uh, that's you, of course. ...And Iori Yagami."
"Are you bonkers? Regardless of what I'm about to say, there's no way that Yagami-crud would agree to such a proposal."
"He already has."
"...Are you yanking my dangly?"
Unbelievable. Yagami himself had, of all things, already acceded to Chizuru's request.
"Hey, just what sort of spell did you cast on him anyway?"
"If Yasakani had not lent us his strength..."
"If?"
"Both the Kusanagi and the Yata are sure to suffer defeat."
"......"
"It was probably too much for him to stomach: someone beside himself defeating the Kusanagi."
"Now you're just being wack. Just who would defeat whom?!"
Chizuru shuts her eyes.
"Answer me! Are you telling me that I'm someone who can't win without Yagami's help?"
"Perhaps...that is the case."
"Kagura!!!"
The atmosphere becomes tense between the two.
Then for some reason, the image of the two motorcycles comes to mind. They are two models of the exact same type of motorcycle which appear to have been abandoned.
"...Nuts, well, whatever. Anyway, the whoopla keeps me from becoming bored out of my skull every year."
"Thank you...I'm grateful."
Kyo snatches up his helmet resting at his side and stands up.
"I told you it was a way to relieve the boredom, didn't I? There's no need to thank me."
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King of Fighters XI
"So, Miss Kagura, you're sure you're not going to participate in the next KOF?"
"I'm sure... certainly not in my current state..."
Chizuru Kagura, or rather Chizuru Yata, lay feebly on the hospital bed.
Shingo didn't really understand it all, but since Ash Crimson had claimed one of the powers of the three sacred treasures, she could not accompany Kusanagi and Yagami.
"The only thing left I can do is pray.
I don't have the strength to fight alongside Kusanagi and Yagami again..."
"D-don't worry about that!"
Though he thought there was actually a great deal to worry about, Shingo did his best to reassure her anyway.
"But..."
"You can depend on Shingo Yabuki! If you'd allow me, I'd do everything I could to help both of them!"
***
"...so come on, Kyo! Let's enter with Iori! We can do it!"
"Have you completely lost your mind?"
Shingo had happened across Kyo in the middle of a busy intersection, and had virtually prostrated himself in begging for the Kusanagi's cooperation, to little avail. Kyo did his best to just ignore him and continue on his way.
"But we've fought on the same team before!"
"That's just because Kagura practically begged me to. What choice did I have? Why the hell do you think Yagami ever agreed to it before?"
Kyo, Iori and Kagura had entered the tournament together once. That the three of them had cooperated at all had seemed miraculous to begin with; to think that such circumstances might recur was simply absurd. Plus, without the mediating presence of Kagura herself, it was highly unlikely that they would be able to agree on a third teammate.
"Uh, if that's the issue, then I have an idea!"
"...All right then. Spill it, but I'm not making any promises."
"I can join up with you!"
Shingo gave a smile so earnest that, if he was trying to be funny or lighten the mood, one certainly couldn't tell. In other words, he actually meant it.
"...I shouldn't have bothered listening."
***
At the end of a long summer day, the waning moon began to rise in the eastern sky.
The air was humid and heavy.
With the wind becalmed as it was, two entwined trails of smoke rose from the gravestone.
A man stood before the small memorial, and the shadow of another drew near.
"Are you going to leave some incense, Yagami?"
"..."
In front of the stone, the incense smoke mingled with that of a cigarette.
Iori Yagami held it in his mouth, and both strands of smoke wound up into the sky.
Without meeting each others gaze, both men stood before the grave.
"How many years has it been now?"
"...You've gotten even less tactful. What business is it of yours?"
The two muttered quietly to one another, quite unlike their usual sharp words.
The small stone monument seemed to negate their typical antagonism, and all that could be heard was the ever-present chirping of cicadas in the setting sun.
"That student of yours has been pestering me every day. You need to do something about him."
"I'm not his keeper. You can handle it however you want."
"...Very well."
Iori took his now-spent cigarette and crushed it under his foot, then took another one and placed it in his mouth.
Shortly after, Kyo produced a lighter.
It looked to be an antique, with metal plating which was, for some reason, roughly inscribed with English phrases.
With a casual flick, he flipped it open and the wick burst into flame.
He held only his right arm out to Iori, keeping his gaze forward and the rest of his body still.
"Why do you feel the need to carry a lighter?"
"It was a gift."
Iori produced a lighter from his own pocket and, shielding the flame from the wind with his hand, lit his cigarette. Kyo softly clucked his tongue and flipped the cover shut. The area grew slightly darker.
Iori turned to the side and took several steps away.
"..."
"You still need something, Yagami?"
Just as before, Kyo spoke without taking his eyes from the gravestone.
"We still haven't settled this. I'm still going to be the one to kill you."
"..."
"This isn't the place for it, though."
"...I guess not."
Kyo once more heard the sound of Iori's footsteps. They gradually grew more and more distant, until finally fading away entirely.
The nearby streetlamp flickered into life.
The spot where Yagami had stood looked as though it were the focus of a bleak spotlight.
It was stained with the remnants of the cigarette that he had stamped out.
***
The first KOF match, in Japan.
Shingo was waiting for Kyo and Iori at Ootemon, a castle designated as a World Heritage site.
He hadn't exactly gotten promises out of them that they'd attend... in fact, Iori had threatened his life several times. It didn't stop him from trying, but eventually, he was forced to concede.
Shingo remembered his own words one week ago.
"Okay, I'm including both of your names on the signup sheet! You have to come! I believe in both of you!"
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King of Fighters III
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Iori Yagami
Iori is the last descendant of the Yagami clan, an ancient family linked to the Three Sacred Treasures. Iori fights the enemies on his way via his sharp claws and purple flames. Since a blood pact concluded with Orochi, he sometimes enters a state of "Riot of the Blood" madness. The Kusanagi and Yagami clans have been fighting each other for more than 660 years.
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Capcom vs SNK 2
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Capcom vs SNK 2 Endings
This tournament meant nothing to Iori... "You are next, Kyo Kusanagi! I WILL DESTROY YOU!!" How long can Iori control the fire that burns inside him?
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Neo Geo Battle Coliseum
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NEOGEO Battle Coliseum
With a certain incident 660 years ago, the Kusanagi and Yata families parted company, and the name of the Yasakani family became Yagami. Iori Yagami is the present head of this family and successor to his family's ancient style of martial arts. Iori, whether driven by the destiny of the bad blood between the Yagami and Kusanagi families or not, holds a particularly abnormal enmity toward @char=kyo1_kof@. And up untill now the sparks have flown between these two as they squared off against each other in myriad fighting competitions.
This is the sole reason for his entering the Battle Coliseum. He thinks nothing of WAREZ. The place, the time, the conditions are all mere trivialities - that is, if he can put an end to the beating of Kyo Kusanagi's heart. "Very well, Kyo...If your wish is to die in the Coliseum, than die you will!"
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