Lost Love

Intro : all teams

Ms.kyokogenru

.....That afternoon, Takuma Sakazaki was shocked by his beloved daughter, Yuri. . . "Yuril? What happenedl?"  "Huhl?" ‘ Yuri was tightening her belt when she heard the inquiry. ’"What's wrong, Dad?" ”Don't you 'what’s wrong' me! Your hair! I'm asking you what happened to it!" "Oh, that?" Yuri's hair used to drape down to the middle of her back. Her new hairstyle was cropped closer to her shoulders. As she patted her newly shorn locks, Yuri smiled. "There's a new hair salon along my jogging route, so I went inside to check it out and--" Takuma raised his voice, cutting Yuri off mid-sentence. "That's not what I'm talking about!" Besides Takuma, Yuri, and Ryo, there were some white belt students scattered about the dojo. All of them had stopped in their tracks and now stared at Takuma with bewilderment.
They had no idea what the real reason Takuma suddenly exploded at Yuri was.
Ryo frowned and walked over. As Yuri's older brother, he was pretty sure he knew why Takuma was irritated, so he
understood his reaction. But if he didn't step in soon, he knew that Takuma might embarrass the family in front of their
students. "Hey, Dad, look--" "You shut up! Listen, Yuri! What I want to say is--" "What's wrong, everybody?" Just as Takuma was about to start a lecture, Robert Garcia arrived. "Oh? Yuri, you cut your hair?" "Huh? Oh, yeah." "Hmmm, short hair works for you as well. You look cute." "Oh, Robert, stop that." Yuri and Robert smiled as they looked at each other. "So, Yuri, can you be my opponent?" "Sure, as long as you don't go easy on me!" "But of course. I can't take it easy on you anymore." "*ahem* Robert" Takuma butted in with a sour look on his face. "If you want a sparring partner, then I'll be your opponent." "Huh? You, Dad?" "Since when did I become your father!? Anyway, Yuri wouldn't be enough of a fight for you." "Wait a second, Dad--" "Hey." Upset, Yuri was about to explode in anger when Ryo stopped her. "Yuri, stop it.” "But he's being selfish! And did you hear what he just-" "Well, I do kinda understand where he's coming from." "Huhl?" Yuri stared at her brother in shock as she heard those words. "We're in front of the students; just let it go for now." Robert hurriedly changed into his karate gi, tied his belt, and stood in front of Takuma. He looked toward Ryo and Yuri and shot them a wink and a knowing smile. He apparently discovered the source of Takuma's foul mood as well. Ryo slapped his hands together and silently apologized to Robert, then encouraged Yuri to start sparring with him. "Geez! Why are all the men in my family like that!?" Yuri vented as she stirredher iced cafe au lait with her straw. "Ryo was like, 'Oh,’ you cut your hair? Is that so?’ He didn't even say if it looked good or not! And what was with Dad going off like that!? They need to be more like you!" "There, there." After they had finished practice, Yuri and Robert went to a quaint cafe with a view. She said she wanted to go shopping, but all Yuri actually did was complain to Robert. "They may call your father the Karate Demon, but he's still human. He's just worried about you, just like any normal father would be."  "Huh? What do you mean?" "Well, I don't really want to butt into your family business too much. Why don't you ask Ryo about it?" Robert set down his cappuccino and ended the discussion. Yuri didn't really understand what he said, just as she didn't understand what Ryo had said earlier. "...But, speaking on behalf of Shisho, I don't think he wants you to continue karate.” "Huh? He wants me to quit?" “'No, not quit. He just wants you to stop entering tournaments and stuff. After all, you originally started karate for self-
defense, right? But your level of karate skill is far beyond self- defense, and ydu're participating in tournaments without even blinking. ...It's a bit of'a contradiction, don't you think?" Yuri had no answer for Robert. It was true that she began karate for self-defense. But before she knew it, she had begun seriously training. Now she's become a mainstay of the King of Fighters tournaments. What was once for self-protection has become her motivation to go out and risk serious injury. ”Hey!" As Yuri looked down, she heard her brother's familiar voice. She glanced in that direction to see Ryo waving at the two from the bottom ,of the steps. "Let's go home, Yuri!" "Ryo..." "I called him. You might not look good on his piece of junk bike after riding in my car, though." Sipping on his cappuccino, Robert saw Yuri off. Ryo's bike ran out of gas. It must have been a hassle for Ryo, as he had to push the heavy bike home, but perhaps it ended up all for the better.  "...About Dad."  "Yeah?" "Now that I think about it, he's only ever seen you with long hair." "Huh? Really?" Ryo and Yuri's shadows grew long on the sunset-tinged asphalt.  "Yeah. The last time you had short hair was in junior high." "Oh yeah. When I was on the softball team, huh." "But Dad wasn't around then." "Oh, yeah..." Yuri finally realized what her brother and Robert had been trying to tell her. Takuma disappeared when Yuri was young and he wasn't there to see his daughter grow up. By the time he was reunited with his children, Yuri had already become a young lady. "That's why he gets like that. ...I think Dad's really worried about you now. Seeing that you changed your hairstyle, he
thinks there are a million reasons that might've happened." "But he never says anything about you." "That's because I'm a guy and you're a girl. ...lt's about time you thought about your future, too." Those words nearly set off an explosion of laughter from Yuri. She had never thought she'd hear her karate-crazed brother talk about responsibilities and a life outside of fighting. Ryo furrowed his brow and looked at Yuri. "What was that look for? I think about the future too, you know."  "Oh, really? What do you see in your future, then?" "Mastering Kyokugen karate?What else?" "l figured you'd say that." Yuri laughed at Ryo's predictable answer. Ryo was a straightforward man, and that was literally the only way he
could possibly respond to that question. "*sigh* You must have inherited Dad's awkwardness. ...I feel bad for King." . "Hm? What was that, Yuri?" "Nothing!"   Yuri bolted off ahead of an utterly confused Ryo. "Hey! Yuri!" "I'm just gonna jog first!" "That's fine, but don't be out too late!" "Oh, and..." Yuri looked over her shoulder toward Ryo and added one final bit of information. "I'm entering KOF with King and Mai!" "What!? Hold on! Yo‘u're just telling me this now!?" "You guys can have your sweaty man team! I'll show you and Dad just how much I've grown and that you don't have to worry about me!" "Wait, Yuri!" Yuri sped up, to put more distance between her and her brother, as she heard the pace of his footsteps quicken. "*sigh*" As he watched Yuri disappear into the distance, Ryo knew he wouldn't be able to change Yuri's mind. While Takuma doesn't speak about it openly, Ryo knows that his father has always been worried about Yuri. This sentiment has only gotten more intense recently. When Takuma heard of Yuri joining the tournament with another team, Ryo was sure that he would blow a blood vessel.
All Ryo could do was figure out how he would calm his father down when Yuri finally informed Takuma of her entry into KOF.