KOF Extras

Yagami's curse

Mr. Yagami suddenly brought a woman home, claiming that she was his girlfriend. Iori frowned at his father and got up to just go to his room. He sighed when he saw his son's reaction towards his girlfriend.
It wasn't his fault his mother died during childbirth, it was nobody's. If there were anyone to be blamed, it would be their ancestors, and Orochi himself. Not Iori, nor his father.
"Sit here, Keiko," Mr. Yagami told his girlfriend. "I'll go speak to him for a moment."
Keiko nodded and watched as he went after his son. The two-year old boy sat on his bed with a sulky expression.
"Iori?" Mr. Yagami called. Iori gave him a look and scowled even more. He sighed and sat down next to him. "Iori, come. Let me introduce you to Keiko."
The little boy stubbornly turned away and hid himself under his blanket.
"Iori, come on," Mr. Yagami said, pulling the blanket off. He carried the squirming little boy out of the room and to the living room. Keiko stood up and smiled when she saw him. Mr. Yagami put his son down and held his shoulders. The little boy scowled in return. "Iori, this is Keiko. Keiko, this is my son, Iori."
Keiko smiled and crouched to get in the same level as him.
"I am Keiko, nice to meet you, Iori," she said with a gentle smile. "How old are you?"
"Two..." Iori said sulkily.
"Great, I'm thirty-two," Keiko said with a laugh. "Come on, little guy."
She carried him to the sofa and started playing with him.
"He looks just like you," Keiko said, looking over at her boyfriend. "It's just that he's a little guy and you are not."
Mr. Yagami laughed and watched her play with his son. It's been two years since his first wife died, and it still did leave a hole in his heart.
And that's when Keiko came along. He didn't know if he should marry her, and endanger her life together with his, or just stay friends with her.
Keiko opened her bag and took out a chocolate bar. She opened it and gave it to the little boy.
"Thanks, auntie," Iori said, nibbling on the sweet treat.
Keiko smiled and went back to Mr. Yagami.
"So how's it going with Iori?" Mr. Yagami asked, pouring himself some vodka. "Are you two getting along?"
Keiko frowned and snatched the bottle of liquor from his hand.
"You shouldn't drink that much, Yagami-san," she said, putting the bottle aside. She pulled the glass away from him too. "It's bad for your health."
"Eh, like I care," he said with a shrug. "Doesn't matter since I'm gonna die anyway. Life's too short for me to care about my health."
He pulled out a brown cigar and lit it with a purple flame on his finger. He took a puff and let it out, much to Keiko's disgust.
"Yagami-san..." Keiko said, shaking her head. "Don't talk like that."
Mr. Yagami gave a loud, humourless laugh. He let out a puff of smoke and looked at her with red irises.
"I am a Yagami," he said with an amused smirk. "Descendant of the Yasakani clan. You know them, don't you?"
Keiko nodded with a serious look. "The holders of the Yasakani no Magatama. You're a part of it? You're from a sacred clan!"
He laughed his manic, yet humourless, laugh again.
"I assure you, there's nothing sacred with our clan," Mr. Yagami said with a chuckle. "Which sacred clan would make a pact with the notorious Orochi? Who in the right mind would do such a thing?"
Keiko sighed and sat down in front of him. She gently pulled the cigar out of his fingers and put it out in the ashtray.
"It isn't your fault," Keiko said with a soft smile. "You shouldn't spoil your life like this. Live it to the fullest."
"How can I do such a thing when I only have a decade left at most?" Mr. Yagami said with a shrug. "I'm gonna die, Keiko, and so is everyone else in my clan. Everyone would die a premature death, and every mother would die at childbirth. How can this clan thrive like that? I'm surprised this clan actually survived more than six centuries with this putrid curse!"
Keiko gave him a sympathetic look. She turned towards the little boy who innocently nibbled on the chocolate bar she gave him and sighed.
"Then what is to become of little Iori?" Keiko asked, turning back to Mr. Yagami. "Yagami-san, I promise, I'll protect him as long as I live."
"Papa, I'm hungry!" Iori suddenly called. "Papa!"
Mr. Yagami gave Keiko a smile and went to the kitchen to prepare some food. Keiko carried Iori, and followed him.
"I'll do something," Keiko said, making Iori sit down on the kitchen table. She smiled at the little boy and bent down slightly. "Will you be a dear and play with your father while I make something for you?"
Iori nodded and reached for his father. The older man chuckled and pulled a chair to sit down in front of him.
"So what did you do today?" Mr. Yagami asked.
"Miss Kaori is awfully boring!" Iori said with a pout. "She made me watch tv while she talked over the phone the whole time!"
His father frowned and shook his head in disgust. He decided that he would have a word with the babysitter the next time he saw her.
Iori started telling him tall tales about the cartoons he watched on tv. He just nodded, not paying attention to a word he said. His eyes were shutting since he found his story really boring.
He ended up falling asleep on the table. Iori frowned and jumped off the table. He trotted towards Keiko and pulled at her skirt. She looked down to see him pointing at his sleeping father. She sighed and carried him again. She put him down on the countertop and decided to humour him instead.
Soon, Iori grew attached to Keiko. Keiko grew closer to Mr. Yagami too.
And soon, they got married. Iori was overjoyed to see her in his house more often. She lived as a housewife, while Mr. Yagami worked as a musician in the nearby bar. She made breakfast for him every morning, played with him whenever she could, read him a story and tucked him to bed every night. Iori loved her so much. He considered her to be his mother, since she was the first mother figure he actually had.
And will ever have.
Long before they knew it, Keiko became pregnant right after Shogatsu the following year. She was happy for the baby, and so was little Iori. He was gonna have a little brother or sister to play with. Keiko's love for him never changed, not even when she was feeling sick thanks to the new life in her. She always entertained him, even reading a story to him and to the new baby too.
Mr. Yagami felt happy for the new member in the family, but at the same time, devastated that he was gonna lose Keiko. He decided to go and see the leader of the Yata Clan to see if there is any way to keep the curse from claiming Keiko's life.
"Sorry, Yagami," the leader of the Yata clan said. "There is no way to keep both of them safe. The only way is to miscarry the child. That way, your wife will be safe. But not for long. She's a member of your clan now too."
Mr. Yagami sighed and ruefully left. The two young heiresses of the Yata Clan watched him leave, tinkering with their father's old motorcycle. He shot them a smile upon seeing their curious faces watching him leave. The Yata mother came out and called her daughters in for lunch. Yagami sighed as he made his way home, his bass bag slung over his shoulder.