"Like Minds, Chapter 6"
By Bloodshade Shadowclaw
=South Town, Japan=
Saisyu Kusanagi made his way through the halls of the stadium, asking around if they'd seen that "foxy-looking" newcomer. He glanced around and happened on Benimaru, chowing down on some ramen.
"Hey, Nikaido!"
Beni looked up from the chicken-flavored bliss, and saw his friend's father, wearing a hawaiian shirt over tattered jeans, with sandals. He gulped down another mouthful, before walking over.
"Mr. Kusanagi? What brings you here? I thought you'd be more occupied with finding your son..."
"Whereever he is, Kyo can take care of himself... I saw you with that newbie a while ago, and I was wondering if you could introduce me to him?"
"He's watching the latest match with the other contenders...This way."
+elsewhere...+
Red sat on the couch, trying to make small talk with Athena during a commercial break in the televised action.
Sie Kensou sat by the wall, eyeing the two in case the unlikely happened.
Rock and Terry were shooting pool, the latter glancing at the clock occasionally. Rock made his shot, putting a little more english on it than he wanted. The cue ball glanced off the wall, then nudged the fifteen-ball, which stopped just short of the pocket. "Dang. Your shot, Terry."
The door opened, Mai and King walked in, Jan in hot pursuit behind his older sister, who had a fork in hand as she opened what contained a fresh slice of store-bought cheesecake.
The TV had gotten back to the fighting by now. Vice whipped Yamazaki over her head, who recovered quickly enough to grab her arm as it snaked out to return him to earth. It didn't slow his descent any as he slammed shoulder-first into the ground onscreen.
Terry stared longingly at King's dessert, his stomach growling...
"Hey, Rock, you hungry? I could go for something to eat..."
Red's stomach soon joined in. That danish from Starbuck's wasn't too filling.
"Hey Terry, mind if I go with you guys? I could use a bite too."
"Only if you don't stick to the Alpo. C'mon, I'm famished..."
=Alden=
Sly was asleep in his quarters, while Kyo, Scarlet and Foxy tried to figure out what to do...
"We can't just leave him like this. What if he attacks someone else?"
"Do we have a choice? The only person that knows how to get rid of that thing isn't around to help us."
"That may be, but there could be another solution..."
"Like what, Kyo? Purify him with your flame without turning him into Chykyn?"
"There's a way, but it's really complicated...If I hear from Chizuru again, maybe she'll have some advice for this kind of situation.....for now, though, we'll have to keep his new Orochi under control...doesn't Pandora have healing powers?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"I think I might have an idea. It's crazy, but it might be worth a shot...you know any of her contact information?"
"I'll see what I can dig up from Phenix...you guys keep an eye on him, I'll be right back." Scarlet turned and walked away, Artica's icy gaze close on her tail. Kyo noticed, and decided to pop the question in his brain...
"What is it with you and her?"
Artica sighed and said, "Come with me. We'll talk. Away from prying eyes..." She glared daggers at Erica as she led the human away...
=South Town, the L' amour=
Red sat across from Rock, silently nodding his head in time with the emotional trance music coming from the DJ. Terry had stepped out to grab a drink for himself, leaving Rock to bask in the increasingly uncomfortable antisilence.
"You have a girlfriend yet, Rock?"
Rock snapped out of it, albeit slowly. "No. I wish I did sometimes...what about you?"
A smile, then..."...You don't know what you're missing, man."
"Lemme guess. You have a mate, and you love each other..." Rock's eyes rolled upwards as the sentence finished.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to sound like I was bragging."
" T'salright. It's nature...Ever think about bringing something back for her, if you get the chance?"
".....I could, but I can't be assed to remember her measurements."
"Maybe Terry could help with that. Got a photo of her on you?
"I think." Red dug around in his shirt. Eventually he pulled out a locket containing a photo of Scarlet. The thing hadn't exactly stood the test of time and interdimensional travel...
"Wow, that's pretty good. Hope you don't mind me saying, but she's a looker."
"Heh, don't I know it...But how can Terry help with me finding a gift for her?"
"You're about to find out, here he comes."
Sure enough, back came Terry, with a bottle of Sam Adam's in tow.
Rock stood up, holding up the photo at eye-level. "I think you might be able to help with this..."
Terry squinted, then said, "I think I can..." he grabbed a sharpie from his back pocket, and wrote something down on a napkin, handing it to Red. "that look like her measurements, bud?"
Red glanced at the napkin, then gaped at Terry, his jaw dropping slightly. "Holy yiffing kenal...That's almost dead-on! How the heck did you.......?"
Terry smirked. "I'll explain later. We should be getting back, we're gonna be late soon..."
=Back at the KOF Stadium...=
The contenders were gathered around the TV, trying to figure out who would fight who in the next match. Benimaru tensed up as the names of him and his teammates flickered into view on the 23-inch color LCD, followed by Joe Higashi, Kim Kap Hwan, and Andy Bogard...
Red and the others had just walked through the door. Terry got a quick glimpse of the matchup, and ribbed the vulpin saying something along the lines of "Dude, you're gonna fight my brother..."
=Alden=
Kyo was starting to doze off keeping watch over Sly.
Scarlet had come to relieve him at the last minute, and he couldn't be more thankful to move his feet. He remembered what Artica had told him, and some weird thoughts were gnawing at the back of his head ever since... He made his way to the deck, gazing out at the lack of a view.
"Kyo? Did Scarlet take over?"
Speak of the devil...or, in this case, the arctic vixen...
"Yeah, she did..."
"You.....you look a little worried. Something wrong?"
"...I just...don't know how I'm gonna get back to my own world, is all..."
She walked over to the chair he sat in, laying a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't lose hope so soon. We'll find a way back to your friends."
A pause, then..."I hope so. I really miss 'em."
Kyo continued to stare out into nowhere, as Artica kept her hand on his shoulder.
"Kyo?"
"Hmm?"
"What.......what was it like in your world?"
"Not that special... not many people like you and your friends. I doubt you'd be interested."
"Well, I am...Now come on, tell me more."
"...Well, I've got a few friends over there..."
Minutes eventually became hours, and the conversation between human and humanimal droned on...
=Extinctioner's Earth, The E.C.S. Complex=
Zora De Facto slowly sifted through the surveillance photos left out of the remnants of the Omega Hunters Kyo and Scarlet destroyed. Some of them had been taken during the battle by the Hunters, and they had saved what little on the hard drives that wasn't torn into incomplete fragments, or otherwise destroyed.
She was rather taken aback by the Kusanagi heir and what he seemed capable of. She thought of the possible outcomes if she happened to be able to turn him to their side, and gradually a plan started to form and flesh out.....
=South Town=
Chizuru had gained sufficient strength to attempt to re-forge the connection. Red sat with a hand on her shoulder, as she tried to find Scarlet's mental signal amid the many aliens, relying only on Red's photo of her, and his personal knowledge...
=The Solarfox's Hangar=
Scarlet had just about gotten ready to hit the hay. Foxy had turned in for the night after confirming Sly was OK, and she herself was reading an antique novel.
"Scarlet?" Red's voice fired through her head like a mental hollow-point.
She tensed up, looked around worriedly, scanning the room. No one. Probably her imagination... he'd been gone for about a week.....
"Scarlet Ann Starfox? Can you hear us?"
Scarlet rolled out of bed into a fighting position. "Alright, who the kenal are you!? Show yourself!"
"Calm yourself. My name is Chizuru Kagura. Your friend Red is with me at the moment. I have not hurt him."
"Really? Prove it..."
A mental image of Chizuru and Red flared into her mind's eye. Scarlet blinked. No way in hell that could be someone else...
"Oh, Maker! Where are you?"
"In South Town, Japan. We've been registered to participate in a fighting tournament."
Scarlet paused. "The King of Fighters, right?"
Chizuru was surprised enough to let the connection falter for a second. "Yes...that's the one."
"Then you know Kyo Kusanagi...Right?"
=Alden=
Kyo couldn't sleep. The day's events had taken a toll on him, coming in the form of heightened-awareness-induced insomnia. He doggedly took another sip from a mug of warm milk on the nightstand, then went back to tossing and turning... He glanced at the clock. 1:30 AM.
"It doesn't look like you're sleeping well, sir Kusanagi..."
Kyo's eyes snapped open. He rolled out of bed, flinging a fireball in the direction of the voice's origin. There was a loud *BAMF*, then a scant trace of sulfurous odor. Seconds later, Umnus landed on the bed in a crouching position. Kyo glared at him through overly tired eyes.
"I thought you said you weren't going to do that anymore, dammit."
Umnus didn't bother with Kyo's bitching."Kyo-san, I come with news, and I'll be brief as I can, you shouldn't be awake this late."
"Well, get to it."
"Scarlet believes she was contacted by someone from your world. She wanted to tell you herself, but she was too drained from today's events as well. She wishes to discuss this with you tomorrow, as soon as you both can. Also, some of our enemies have found out who you are. You'll be briefed on them tomorrow. Get some rest, OK?"
Another *BAMF*, then uneasiness, and silence...
=South Town=
"I've heard a lot of tales about you, Red..." Saisyu piped as he sipped his tea.
"So, why the sudden interest in me instead of your son's whereabouts? I think you'd be more worried about him, being his father and all." Red had to admit, this turn of events was a little weird...
"I am. I'm just trying not to show it. That's the thing with us humans. Some of us don't show our emotions as willingly as others do. Which brings me to my next point...I can tell you've felt some ill will toward you since you've come here, and I'm not talking about your fight with Billy Kane..."
Red's eyebrow arched. "You mean the other contenders?"
"Maybe even the spectators at the event. I can't say because I don't know. I would, however, advise you tread with caution here. We humans usually fear what we don't understand.....I don't understand how you got here, but I realize it may be for a reason."
"What reason?"
"Who knows, Red...Only time, and there's no telling what he'll have to say....."
ebonyleopard
