A/N: Please forgive me for the late update and please please pleaseeee leave a review if you're still reading in 2017!
Thanks to Al and Kim Reigns for reviewing the last chapter!
Disclaimer: I am living the ultimate sad life of not owning KOF… OTL.
III. The Opening
They were sitting awkwardly in a coffee shop near the studio. She stole a few glances his way – he was staring intently out of the large, life sized window. One of his hands was holding the warm cup of coffee. His index finger of the other hand was making circular patterns on the top…
When her eyes finally left the admiration of how long his fingers were, she was startled to find that he was grinning at her. The same, high school grin. He seemed a little happier as of late. Yuki's death had left him devastated. He went through all stages of grief in front of her. He burned everything in his rage, locked himself up in sorrow, and even pretended it never happened. Finally, perhaps, he was at the acceptance stage.
She found her heart beat running on a treadmill. "W-what's up?" She asked in a high pitched, nervous voice.
"Sorry for calling you out like this," Kyo began.
"No no, not at all!" Athena insisted, blushing much harder than before.
"Actually this whole 'Couples Only' thing caught me a little off guard. I am sure you're going with Ken—
"No I am not!" She said a little too fast. It made Kyo's innocent remark sound almost offensive.
"Jyaa…" He began, dark, chocolate eyes fixed on bubbly pink ones. "Go with me."
What an arrogant way to ask… does that even qualify as asking?! she thought. But she couldn't help but be filled with almost childish happiness. Before she could accept…
Chin started screaming in her mind.
"NO NO NO NO NO! PSYCHO SOLDIERS FOREVER!"
Startled, she knocked over her cup of ice tea.
"Eeep!" She exclaimed, quickly standing up. She took off the head scarf she was wearing as a disguise to wipe her skirt.
"Hey! It's Athena Asamiya!" A few people in the café proclaimed so loud that she had no choice but to wave shyly at them.
"Oh-oh boy…" she bit down on her lower lip.
"PLEASE MARRY ME!" A middle aged man jumped from his seat at the far corner of the restaurant and started charging towards Athena like a bull.
Kyo grabbed onto her hand so fast that it could have snapped. Next thing she knew, they were both running out like crazy.
After a wild chase, they finally got rid of the psycho fan. Panting, both of them fell down on the grass in an empty park.
"I forgot how popular you are." The brown haired fire caster teased. Athena only blushed deeper. This time she made sure to sever her psychic connection with the Master.
"I'll do it!" She replied with a little too much enthusiasm. Kyo tilted his face to the left to look at her face, inches away from his. Her eyes, huge pools of pink flickering with light, stared deeply into his. She could feel him closing in, his breath tickled her skin. Her eyes were now clouded, demanding his kiss. She cast them downwards to observe his perfect lips, before closing them expectantly...
Ring ring.
"Oh, sorry. I have to take this."
Both of them snapped back to reality. Athena literally sprung to her feet. What the hell am I doing! She thought.
"Yeah? No, why? No I found someone already. Yeah. Is that all? Yeah, don't call again." Finally he hung up, looking a bit annoyed. He also rose to his feet, rubbing the back of his neck as he turned away. Athena could swear she saw the faintest blush on his face.
"I g-g-g-g-g-g-gotta get back to work!" She finally managed to say, more like, shout. A surprised Kyo could only nod before she teleported, trails of pink light making patterns and eventually dissipating in the autumn air…
The opening event was not going to anything less than magnificent. Leave it to the Bernsteins.
"This is so weird for me… I am already having panic attacks…" Whip swallowed loudly. She was in her usual military uniform but her hair, which reached her waist by now, was left to sway with the wind in the open air stadium. It had been her boyfriend's request.
"You look so beautiful."
When she turned her face to the right, Adelheid was gazing intently into her eyes with the two fiery rubies he had for eyes. His face was so handsome that it would be etched in any girl's memory if she saw it once this close. He was smiling at her with all his heart – a smile only for her.
Today he was wearing a black tuxedo with polished, designer shoes. His platinum blond hair was pushed back in a sleek hairstyle. On his finger he wore ring that marked him the Bernstein heir.
"Es tut mir leid, mein Leibe…" he kissed her forehead.
"No, it's fine. Don't be sorry. I know you gotta go." The soldier hugged him tightly, feeling the warmth of his body to calm her nerves. With much effort, she tore herself away from his arms.
"Let me know what the view is like from the top!" She joked. Adelheild looked upset, wishing more than anything that she would be there with him. But he didn't want to push her out of her comfort zone and especially put her under the scrutinizing gaze of her sister.
When he left her alone, Whip wandered around. The seats were already full and people were anxiously awaiting the pairings. This tournament had attracted a lot more female fans. Heck! There were even couple seats. She was genuinely surprised at the crowd turnout.
"Sir!" Her hand went up automatically in a salute when she saw Heidern. He was dressed in a suit and not his usual uniform, which surprised the girl.
"You're not supervising security… sir?" She asked as he mouthed 'at ease' to her.
"Not this tournament. They asked me to be one of the judges." He grunted. Clearly he was not pleased with this.
"Judges? What do the judges do?" She thought out loud.
"Beats me!" Clark's voice was full of a carefree happiness. Whip knew that Ralf, who loved fighting, would be sulking but Clark could have days off from the military for the tournament and not even participate… what a good life…
"Security at your service…" Ralf looked clearly annoyed as he slumped, leaning against a wall. "No sightings of your daughter yet." He informed Heidern.
"Where's Leona?" Whip asked, surprised.
"MIA. Since a while." Clark filled her in. "Knowing that girl, she'll jump out of the shadows any moment or something."
"Well, let's go take a seat." Heidern suggested. "Your boyfriend?" He directed the question towards Whip.
"Um… he's kinda busy…" she was still not sure if she should tell them about it. They were going to find out anyway.
"Okay Muchiko~ where's the imaginary boyfriend?" Ralf cooed in a sing song voice. "We know you don't have a boyfriend. How long are you gonna keep this act up?" He teased.
"Let's get a seat please…" Whip insisted, trying to ignore him, but the teasing continued all the way to the fighter stands.
The announcer was on the stage and all lights were dimmed. Most of the fighters were waiting backstage. They were asked to come on stage when their name was called and stand with their partner on the stage in a line. They were supposed to show a few moves or wave to the fans, but some of them, like Iori, couldn't care less.
"ARE YOU READY FOR THE KING OF FIGHTERS COUPLES?" The announcer's voice drowned in the crazy cheering.
"It's nasty if they're gonna keep calling us that…" Leona sighed in a dark corner.
"Tell me about it…" Iori growled softly.
"FOR OUR FIGHTING COUPLES, LET'S GIVE IT UP FOR THE CROWD FAVORITE…."
"There goes nothing…" Ryo gulped down some air and steadied himself.
"RYO AND KING!"
The crowd cheered endlessly as King blew a kiss to the girls in the crowd and Ryo, feeling possessive, suddenly grabbed her hand.
"Wowww! We are off to a romantic start. Some girls have even fainted in the crowd!" The announcer continued. Back stage the fighters were throwing a laughing fit.
"NEXT UP, THE ONE AND ONLY ASH AND ELIZABETH!"
"Let's go!" Ash smiled enthusiastically as he ran out, hand in hand with Elizabeth. Both of them waved to the crowd. The cheering continued.
"From the Korea team, we have JAE HOON AND MAY LEE!"
The couple didn't dare hold hands, knowing their father would be watching from the stands. Both of them did a Taekwondo greeting to the announcer and then to the crowd. May Lee couldn't resist grabbing onto a blushing Jae Hoon's arm.
"WOW! Taekwondo love! Next up is…. Guys, you're never gonna believe this… K' and KULA DIAMOND!"
"WHAT?!" Whip exploded back stage, her scream carried out to the stage. K' begrudgingly walked to the center, holding Kula's hand who was drinking sorbet as usual. She shook some soot off her chestnut brown hair and raised her sorbet high in the air. "Minnaaaa konbawaaa~"
Her cuteness won the crowd, who had been still and silent in shock earlier. Cheers and "congratulations Kula-chan" erupted from the fans.
Suddenly a whip crashed against K's back, startling him and giving him no time to dodge. He growled, pushing Kula away as he lit his glove with fire.
"Wowww this is a first one folks! A fight has started out before the tournament!" The announcer excitedly moved near the center to the scene.
"HOW COULD YOU?!" Whip shouted, sending another attack his way.
"YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE HER GUARDIAN YOU PERVERT!" She continued, pulling out her Desert Eagle.
"Oh boy…" Kula gulped, tossing her empty plastic cup of sorbet in the trash can.
"I am not going to apologize. She's my girl." K' defended stubbornly as he threw fire her way.
"Stop it pleaseee~~" Kula's hair turned to an icy color as she skated between them. It looked like an effortless dance. She stopped both of their attacks with ice shields.
"Time out!" The announcer yelled. "Sorry folks, seems like Kula Diamond has mediated the fight! We are not gonna see any dead fighters on the first night!"
Still fuming, Whip went backstage again and Kula took K's hand, skating to where everyone else was.
"Oh boy… the next one is a real classic! ONE OF OUR FAVORITE, OFFICIAL COUPLES OFF ALL TIME, TERRY AND MARY BOGARD EVERYONE!"
The crowd went wild as the Lone Wolf tossed his cap in the air once, catching it and placing it on Mary's head. She smiled and clung to his shoulder, waving to the crowd.
"We have… another odd one." The announcer looked a little confused. "Iori Yagami and Leona!"
The confused crowd was silent until Leona went on stage. She had been a crowd favorite for a long time so cheers erupted as she did a salute on stage. Iori, on the other hand, extracted silence and fear from the crowd, until he was tackled into a hug by none other than Kula.
"Uncle uncle do you have sorbet for me?"
Leona's eyes widened at what Iori did next. K' was on his way to save Kula before Iori took out a bottle of really expensive sorbet. "Here." He handed it over to Kula, who looked like it was Christmas.
"YAY THANK YOU UNCLE YOU'RE THE BEST!"
"Don't call me uncle, you sugar addict…" he sighed, removing himself from her grip and walking next to a surprised Leona.
"Let's go. No questions." He insisted so Leona closed her wide open mouth without saying a word.
"Was that cute or what? Who knew Yagami had a heart!" The announcer laughed briefly before his hair was lit with purple flames. "Aaaaaaagh!" He ran around in circles trying to extinguish the fire. The crowd had a mixed reaction: half of the crowd worried for his skull and the sadistic half was ready to live broadcast the announcer's misery.
When he had finally settled down, he was ready to announce the next team.
"Next up is… wow! Don't say I told you so! Maxima and Diana!"
"Woah woah woah!" Kula's eyes widened and she started jumping up and down excitedly. "Finally" Whip and K' said in unison. "Maxima can I call you daddy now?" She asked hopefully, eyes as wide and pleading as Puss in Boots.
"No!" Maxima insisted, blushing as he marched over to them with Diana. "Aww, it suits you!" Diana teased him but he answered both of them with a loud 'hmph!'
"Returning to us and FINALLY together, Mai Shiranui and Andy Bogard!"
Mai literally skipped onto the stage in her bridal kimono, Andy by her side looking embarrassed as he tried not to face the camera. "I've finally got chuu!" She grabbed his face and kissed his lips passionately, with the crowd going wild in the background. Rock was recording the whole thing backstage, his whole body shaking with laughter.
"He must have finally got the approval from the daddy folks, because we have another awaited couple in the house! Yuri Sazaki and Robert Garciaaaa!"
"How angry do you think he'll be?" Robert held onto Yuri's hand tightly backstage as he took deep breaths.
"I say he'll bury you alive but I'll escape because I am the daughter," she teased before they both made their grand entrance.
"Folks! The classics just keep on coming! We last saw them together in 1997! YASHIRO AND SHERMIE!"
The couple's entry into the tournament was a real surprise to a lot of people. Nonetheless, people genuinely cheered them on.
"Wowww! It's about to get hot in here! We could have never guessed the next couple in our wildest dreams!"
Backstage, Rock Howard was running a hand through his hair, his reflection tense in the mirror. The pretty blond girl next to him raised an eyebrow at him. "If we win I keep ALL of the tournament money and there is hidden treasure on the Sky Noah?" She confirmed one more time.
"Yeah, pirate. Now pretend to be my girlfriend." Rock snarled at her in obvious annoyance before putting his hand around her waist. "It's show time!" He grinned ear to ear.
"IT'S ROCK HOWARD AND B. JENET!"
This was a really unexpected turn of events. Terry and Mary exchanged shocked looks. "He's been dating B. Jenet this whole time?!" Mary asked with a disapproving stare as the crowd went wild. "Wait, didn't she flirt with you?!"
Terry let out an exasperated sigh. "She was a teenager so let her go, maybe she's better now. We have to trust Rock."
Mary reluctantly agreed as they made their way over.
"FOLKS! JUST IN! OUR POPSTAR FINALLY SNATCHED HER HIGH SCHOOL CRUSH!"
"Ugh… why do they have to say that?!" Athena protested back stage, blushing red as a tomato. Kyo, on the other hand, looked extremely pleased.
Kyo's theme song played as he flipped his jacket over his shoulder with one hand, taking her hand in his other. "Let's do this." He gave her a confident smile.
Both of them raced on the stage. Fans cheered the loudest for them – after all, Kyo had been the KOF champion, no, hero with the most number of wins and Athena was not only popular in Japan, but her fame had even reached international audiences.
Kyo raised their entwined fingers in the air. Athena blushed, but continued to smile.
"Folks, we also have a really special entry! MATURE AND VICE!"
Again, mixed reaction. The crowd wasn't sure if they were a couple or just close friends. Mature and Vice didn't seem to care much either way.
"And this year's final entry! Wow! It's our favorite military girl with one of the hottest fighters of our time!"
"Here I go, Adel. This is for you…" Whip gulped some air, feeling nervous as she stepped alone on stage and raised her whip in the air.
"ADELHEILD BERSTEIN AND WHIP!"
Adelheild could be seen at the top most platform, floating in the air. His sister's arm was snaked around his and she threw menacing glares at Whip. Adel on the other hand was smiling so wide that it shocked every single person in the arena. He waved to Whip who blew him a kiss in the air and did a wave of her own, a small smile on her face.
"Who knew Muchiko actually had a boyfriend…" Ralf's eyes were about to fall out of their sockets.
"Who knew it'd be Adelheild Bernstein…" Clark's eyes were also going to pop out. Both of them stood awestruck backstage.
"With that, ladies and gentlemen, we have all our teams on stage!"
The gigantic screen, visible to each and every person, now displayed each player's name and picture. Every two partners in a team had a 'heart' between their names and pictures. Leona face palmed and Iori wanted to kill the person who dared to humiliate him this way.
Ryo and King
Ash and Elizabeth
Jae Hoon and May Lee
K' Dash and Kula Diamond
Iori and Leona
Maxima and Diana
Mai Shiranui and Andy Bogard
Yuri Sazaki and Robert Garcia
Yashiro and Shermie
Rock Howard and B. Jenet
Mature and Vice
Kyo Kusanagi and Athena Asamiya
Whip and Adelheid Bernstein
After the opening announcements, the Bernsteins made a formal statement to open the tournament. It was followed by an extremely hot performance by Athena and a group of girl idols. When the performance ended, the fighters were asked to assemble in the lobby where they would be signing autographs and taking pictures.
"I hate this part the most…" Whip said in a low breath to herself.
"I love this part the most." Adelheild had appeared out of nowhere and currently had his arm around her. She jumped a little in surprise and tilted her head upwards to look at the tall male. "Hey you." She smiled.
"Hey you." He replied and leaned in to kiss her on the lips when he heard a big "AHEM!"
"Oh, gentlemen, how have you been?" He shook hands with the hostile brothers, Ralf more than Clark. Both of them narrowed their eyes at him. Clark even took off his shades for dramatic effect.
"Spill every detail…" they threatened.
"Come on guys, he's a good guy…" Whip began but she was silenced when both of them took each of Adel's hands in theirs.
"Like WHY ARE YOU DATING our derpy Muchiko?" Ralf insisted, looking almost as if Adel had betrayed him. "You are the man," Clark added, letting out all of his admiration of Adel in one go.
Athena and Kyo had it the hardest, since they had the biggest fan following. Many, such as Leona and Iori, Mature and Vice and even K', Kula, Diana and Maxima had appeared only for a few minutes before bolting out the door.
"So… baby…" Rock tried to sound… endearing and close. "There's two people I officially want you to meet. My godparents."
Jenet shook hands with both of them, a big smile on her face. Rock was surprised that she could smile like that, let alone look so genuine at it.
"Hey guys, you didn't age a day." She smirked. "Terry is looking fine as always."
"Hey!" Rock lost his temper for real as he frowned. Mary, surprisingly, found it funny.
"Sorry for misunderstanding you. You seem like a funny girl. Why don't you come over for dinner?" Mary asked gently.
Jenet was taken aback by the kindness. As a pirate, she wasn't used to such a show of hospitality.
"Oh sure, if you guys don't mind." She smiled a bit shyly.
Rock could have sworn his heart was beating in a weird way.
"Yuri…." The old man's voice thundered.
"Yikes. It was nice knowing you Robert. I love you." The girl stuck out her tongue at a terrified Robert in mock farewell.
"YOU ARE GROUNDED FOR LIFE, YOUNG LADY!"
A/N: That's it for this update. What did you guys think? Please give me lots of suggestions for this story! Have a happy and fun weekend and don't forget to hit that review button when you're done reading!