The King of Fighters Tournament

Clones and Ninjas

A man wandered aimlessly in the underworld of Tokyo. Not that he was a criminal or anything, no. He was hiding.
A hood covered his very familiar features and a pair of sunglasses hid his glowing eyes. Though he was perfectly human as anyone else, he wasn't made like the typical human.
He was a reflection.
Kusanagi had nowhere to go. His creator had completely abandoned him after waking from her evil trance, his original didn't even want him, he didn't even have any friends. All he earned himself with this appearance were a bunch of enemies.
Kusanagi saw no light at the end of no tunnel. All he saw was a dark, endless void where he had to survive with next to nothing.
"You're Kusanagi, ain't ya?" A voice sounded behind him.
Kusanagi stopped short, not expecting what these people wanted. He silently waited for another remark.
"I think he is..." the exact same voice said. "Yeah, it's him."
Kusanagi turned around to face whoever it was. To his surprise, there were two people, both with hoods that concealed their faces.
"Who are you?" Kusanagi finally asked.
The two immediately revealed themselves. Kusanagi was shocked. They were his past teammates.
"Remember us?" Kyo-1 asked.
"You guys are still alive?" Kusanagi gasped.
Kyo-2 smirked. "Right back at cha, dude."
Kusanagi smiled for the first time in a while. "How's it going with you guys?"
"Pretty good, we've been making money with our looks," Kyo-1 grinned. "It pays super well."
"What did you guys do?" Kusanagi sighed.
"We're a Kyo-impersonating duo!" Kyo-2 proudly said. "And we ain't just doing stuff, we're musicians!"
"We're Kyo after all, so it's only logical that we can sing just as well," Kyo-1 grinned. "Anyway, how's life for you?"
Kusanagi frowned, feeling ashamed as he turned away. "I don't know... I don't even have a place to put the night."
"Why don't you come with us, then?" Kyo-2 suggested. "We have a nice place."
"Yeah, and we have space for you too," Kyo-1 grinned. He hesitated a little before speaking. "Actually... we've been hunting around for you for quite some time now."
Kusanagi was taken aback. "Hunting for me? Why?"
The two Kyos shrugged.
"Because... we didn't part on our own will," Kyo-2 finally said. "You were pulled away from us, not by your own decision either."
Kusanagi stared at them, speechless.
"Come on, idiot," Kyo-1 smirked. "Just come with us."
Kusanagi didn't budge and the two of them ended up dragging him away, out in the open and back to their home. Kusanagi was surprised to see how nice their house was, complete with a nice little zen garden and a gazebo.
"It's... beautiful..." Kusanagi remarked.
"We built it ourselves," Kyo-2 proudly said. "Anyway, come on. Your room is this way."
They led him into the house, through the living room first. Kusanagi noticed a gaming console in front of the flat screen TV. The Kyos then led him into a passage behind the dining table and stopped in front of a door, flourishing it as if to make a grand entrance.
"This is your room," Kyo-1 said, chuckling. "Go on in."
Kusanagi opened the door and let himself in. It was an ordinary bedroom, a little small, but not quite so ordinary to Kusanagi, being a person who put the night literally wherever he could.
"It's... it's like a hotel..." Kusanagi said, taking his sunglasses off. "I've never slept in a room like this in... so long..."
"We know," Kyo-2 said. "This was a big accomplishment for us too."
Kusanagi turned to see them, his glowing eyes teary. "Thank you." He bowed deeply. "I thought I had no one after my creator abandoned me."
The Kyos chuckled and hugged him. "Our creator and master abandoned us too. We only have each other. And now you."
Kusanagi pulled away from the hug. "But why? Why did you actually come looking for me? There must be a reason behind why you came for me."
Kyo-1 and Kyo-2 smirked at each other before turning to him.
"We had an invitation..." Kyo-1 began. "All three of us. Since they didn't know where you lived, they sent yours here too."
"Invitation?" Kusanagi repeated, confused. "Invitation to what?"
"To KOF," Kyo-2 grinned. "We've been looking all over for you since way back but... we decided to up our search even more now. You're one of us, Kusanagi. You belong here."
Kusanagi smirked. "When's the tournament?"
"In a few months," Kyo-2 answered with a smile. "Wanna start training?"
"Two, we haven't even registered us in yet," Kyo-1 pointed out. "Come to my room. We need to get ourselves registered first."

***

Bandeiras Hattori frowned as he sat in a dingy cafe in Osaka. The coffee was surprisingly decent and so was the sushi he ordered. He wouldn't have expected sushi of that quality to be served in a secluded place like that.
He was beginning to doubt the call he received by someone claiming to be a well-trained ninja willing to take him as a student. Bandeiras was only happy to take the offer since the Mai Shiranui that he admired had berated him. Then again, he wasn't all that sure of the legitimation of said ninja.
So he waited, even as his sushi was done. Bandeiras decided to order some Wagashi and green tea instead.
A mysterious man suddenly appeared, his black hair worn long with wispy fringe framing his forehead. Behind him was a young blonde woman with a dark brown hat. They immediately made a beeline for him.
"Are you Ninja Hattori?" The man asked.
"Bandeiras Hattori," Bandeiras answered with a frown. "Who are you guys?"
"Did you bring your invite?" The blonde asked, ignoring his question.
"I did... but who are you?"
"I am Malin," the blonde introduced. "I may be blonde, but I am a full-blown Japanese ninja, born and raised in Osaka."
"I'm Eiji Kisaragi," the other man added. "I'm guessing you have heard of me?"
Bandeiras nodded silently. "Yes... of course, I've heard of you. You're one of the biggest master ninjas!"
Eiji smiled in approval.
"I will be honoured to be your student, Kisaragi-san," Bandeiras bowed. "But why... why call me here?"
"There's an upcoming tournament and we were looking for a third teammate," Malin explained. "And the only other ninja we knew besides Shiranui Mai, is you. We know how cocky Shiranui can get, and we didn't want any of that."
Bandeiras nodded understandingly. "I get what you mean. I had great admiration for her and she berated me."
Eiji shook his head in disgust. "She doesn't know how to respect an admirer."
Malin hid a smirk. "Would you like to join the tournament with us?"
"I'd love to," Bandeiras smiled.
Malin grinned and took her laptop out. "I need your details."
"Of course," Bandeiras smiled and handed his invitation to her.