KOF Extras

Mikadzuki

I know, I totally missed the other birthdays, and even Yagami's birthday was yesterday and not today, but I shall be honest and say that I had no idea what to do this round. I made this instead, skipped the whole birthday and made post-birthday chapter instead. I hope you enjoy this!

It's been a few days since they all returned from their holiday in Nagaoka. Aiko was out with Benimaru, and Honoka had gone to her cousins' village to enjoy. He was playing some soft jazz music by Casiopeia, a whole playlist by them, and the light notes of carnation incense scented the air.
He was reading a book too, shaking his head at the main character's stupid mistakes after finding out about a murder. The guy had literally waltzed into a crime scene and left his fingerprints everywhere. Iori clicked his tongue and flipped the page.
A knock on the door interrupted him before he could read the first word of a new page. Iori groaned and placed the bookmark between the pages before placing the book down on the coffee table. At least the previous page ended with a full stop, so he didn't have to find where he left off mid-sentence.
Iori went towards the door, making sure he looked good enough, and swung it open. To his surprise, it was Saiki, grinning as he stood there.
"Psych?" Iori said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"Kind of a rude question to ask a guest, don't you think?" Saiki replied, shrugging slightly.
Iori sighed and stepped aside to let him in. "Ash didn't come with you?"
"Nah, I came alone," Saiki said, stepping in. "Just wanted to meet you for something."
"Meet me?" Iori closed the door before turning to him. "Why?"
Saiki shrugged. "I feel kinda bad for not giving you something on your birthday."
Iori smirked. "You gave me a bunch of those popsicles. That's nice, if you ask me."
"Not enough," Saiki shook his head. "I gave a little something to everyone, but only ice cream for you. Yagami, just tell me what you want, no matter from which era, I'll get it for you."
Iori frowned and shook his head. "It's fine, I don't want anything."
"Yagami, please, I need to get you something, otherwise Ash and Mikia would remind me about this forever," Saiki sighed. "It doesn't matter if it's expensive, you know I have my ways, right?"
"Dude is just so proud at being able to steal something seamlessly."
"It's not stealing if it's already been thrown away," Saiki pointed out. "All I do is turn the clock back on it."
Iori shook his head and motioned for him to sit down before making his way to the kitchen to bring him some tea. Saiki decided to take a good look around the living room. There was a clock on the wall, obviously, and the television was playing one jazz song after another which gave the place the vibes of a speakeasy, and he could smell something sweet in the air. Saiki knew it was incense, something that some Japanese people adored.
Iori soon returned with some tea and handed him a cup before taking one for himself. Saiki slowly sipped the warm drink.
"This is really good," Saiki said. "What is this?"
"Mugicha," Iori said. "Barley tea."
"I see..." Saiki nodded, placing his tea down on the table. "Have you decided what you want yet?"
Iori frowned slightly. "I don't really want anything. But you said you can go to any era?"
Saiki nodded. "Yes. Any era in time."
"Can you bring me somewhere instead of bringing me something?"
"Bring you?" Saiki turned to look at him, expecting him to continue.
Iori inclined his head slightly. "Yes. It's not that far in time, just around five years ago."
Saiki shrugged. At least he didn't have to look for something. "Date?" He asked. "And place?"
"Tsukishima," Iori said. "The shrine near my family cemetery. And for the date... my birthday."
"Your birthday? Why?"
Iori smiled wryly. "It was one of the lowest points of my life. It was just before a KOF tournament, and Orochi's presence was getting stronger by the second. I was attacked by the Riot of Blood not long before and I was kicked out of my band. It was one of the worst times of my life."
Saiki wasn't sure what he was going to do. "So what are you planning to do?"
"I needed someone to talk to. I didn't realise it then, but I do now. It was at that point in my life was I drowning. I didn't know what was going on around me, it was all a whirl and I was just... existing. I didn't even know which was my real identity, with Orochi taunting me at the back of my mind. It was a terrible time. But I just pushed everyone away, refused to talk to anyone. I didn't even answer Aiko's calls when she was just so worried for me. That's why I wanna speak to him, just a few words."
It was a big request and Saiki thought about it. Going back in time and interacting with someone may have some long term actions that could potentially change history. But wasn't that what he's doing now? Saiki wasn't even supposed to be loitering around in this era, future or not.
"Alright," Saiki said at last. "I'll take you to that point in time. But are you sure your younger self won't recognise you? It might change the course of time if he knows what you have been up to in the next few years."
Iori shook his head. "He won't know that it's me who speaks to him."
Saiki couldn't help but smirk. "You're gonna wear a disguise, aren't you?"
"Exactly what I'm gonna do," Iori nodded, downing his tea. "Though I'm not gonna do the one I usually do, he might recognise it as time goes on. I'll do something else."
With that, Iori made a beeline for his room. Saiki shrugged and leaned back, scooting to face Iori's room so that he could see the big finish when it happened.
It took him some time, but Iori soon stepped out. Saiki nearly spat out his tea at the sight. Iori was right, he really was next to unrecognisable.
He wore a wig, the same one he usually wore but styled differently, then wore brown contacts to hide his blue eyes. His outfit was very different from his usual attire, a tan trench coat with white slacks and a baby blue buttoned shirt underneath.
"What do you think?" Iori asked, flourishing himself as he walked over.
"Not your style, but in a good way," Saiki said. "You look good, but maybe you should cover your face a little?"
Iori pulled out a reusable duckbill mask from his pocket and pulled it on.
"Now?" Iori said, his voice slightly muffled.
Saiki finished his tea and got up. "Unrecognisable. You're prepared for this?"
Iori nodded. "I am. No one's home too, we can just go in and out."
Saiki made a portal to the destination that Iori had mentioned, with the same date and time, and motioned for Iori to get in before stepping in himself. When they stepped out, it was night, in the middle of a deserted street near the shrine. Saiki dispersed the portal and followed Iori.
"You better stay out of sight as well, I still saw you as a monster who tried to ruin the world after the turn of events at the time," Iori told Saiki.
"Got it," Saiki nodded and immediately turned invisible.
Iori stared at him in surprise. "Please stay here though, so that I know where you are."
Saiki arm appeared, giving him the thumbs up, then disappeared again. Iori chuckled as he turned back to the road and walked towards the shrine. If he was remembering correctly, he was sitting on the temple's steps this minute while feeding the local cats. Maybe he had a smoke or two, Iori didn't really remember, but what he did remember was the temple being closed since it was so late. He was just sitting there to collect himself, trying to bottle up all the pent up feelings he had towards the unfairness of his life.
Iori sighed when he arrived at the temple. And there he was, his younger self, sitting on the shrine's steps as he fed the street cats some lactose-free milk, his red hair glinting under the light of a lamppost. That was the only thing he looked forward to, other than his love for music, and kept him going for the most part.
"Mind if I join you?" Iori called when he was close enough.
His younger self looked up at him with a glare, his eyes still red from Orochi's taint. The Iori from the future didn't wait for an answer as he perched himself beside him, but with some some distance between them.
"I see that you're cat lover yourself," he smirked as he pulled out a carton of goat's milk from his coat.
The younger Iori didn't seem like he wanted any conversation at all, not even replying to the other man's comment. The Iori from the future inwardly sighed, seeing how closed up he once was.
"You know, it's kinda odd you sitting here long after the temple's closed," the disguised Iori said as he took out a retractable bowl to pour the milk out for the cats. "Everything alright with you?"
"Why are you here?" The redhead spoke for the first time.
The older Iori sighed and decided to be silent, going on his way to feed the cats. There was a particularly aggressive one, one that he would soon indirectly adopt and care for in the streets, an old friend he hadn't seen in years. It was a black cat that somehow took a liking to him, now walking over since it's favourite human was there.
"Hey, this guy seems a little shy," Iori said, going over to the cat with the bowl. "Here, have some milk."
The younger Iori quickly got up. "Don't go near him, he doesn't like strangers."
Iori smirked under the mask and crouched to scratch the cat between its ears. To the younger man's surprise, the black cat purred and rolled onto its back. It seemed to trust this strange man, though half of his face was hidden, and happily lapped up the milk that he offered.
"You were saying?" Iori straightened himself to look at his younger counterpart.
The redhead frowned and sat down again. "He likes you. That's uncommon." He gazed at the black-furred cat and smiled slightly. "I think he may have been abused by humans before, it took quite some time for him to trust me. But you..."
The older man laughed as he joined him again. "I guess I have my ways. I've got two cats back at home, but that doesn't mean I will abandon these babies." He crouched and ran a hand through a gray cat's coat. "They need love too."
The redhead smiled slightly as he petted the fur of a calico cat. "I agree."
"So, you play?" Iori asked, gesturing towards the bass case resting between them.
The younger man nodded. "I perform in bars sometimes. Live houses, cafes."
"You're in a band?" Iori asked, knowing full well of what had happened just a few days ago.
There was a pause before the other Iori answered. "I go solo."
He said that bit a little softly too, making the older Iori remember how the pain he felt when he was in the other man's shoes. Blaming himself, cursing his ancestors for cursing the blood they passed into him while drowning in the despair and unfairness around him. Iori shook those memories away and looked at his younger self
"I see... I'm sure you're a good performer."
Younger Iori couldn't help but crack a smile. "I am." He gave the older man a close look, frowning as he caressed a white cat. "Do I know you from somewhere?"
Iori looked up at him, meeting his eyes for a moment before turning away to refill the bowl. "I'm not sure. You tell me."
That was a very strange answer to give someone who found him familiar. The younger man frowned and pulled out a cigarette, then lit it with a purple flame from the tip of his finger and took a long drag from it. The older Iori realised that Orochi's presence was strong around now, remembering how he tried all he can to drown out the voices at the back of his head. Smoking helped, but not as much as he had hoped. Getting drunk seemed like a better idea, though. Iori shook his head as he looked at his younger self.
"You want one?" The older Iori shook his head when offered a cigarette as well.
"Sorry, I don't smoke," Iori said. "I just quit recently." He gave him a long look. "I suggest you do the same as well."
The redhead snorted humourlessly. "What's the point? This is the only thing that gives me some form of enjoyment from... from..." he stopped there and shrugged.
"From what?" Iori asked, scooting a little closer.
The younger man moved away. "I don't have to tell you anything."
The Iori from the future shrugged and moved back, picking up the black cat that was usually aggressive to strangers. He greatly missed the cat, which went missing a few months after he had been caring for it.
"You remind me of someone I used to know," Iori said as he cradled the cat in his arms, rocking it gently like it was a baby as it mewed. "He was just like you, closed up and refused to talk to anyone. He was dealing with so much, his life was a total mess, and he pushed everyone away when they tried to help him."
The redhead was silent and his older self didn't continue from there.
"All I'm saying is that, you shouldn't isolate yourself like this," Iori finally said, pouring more milk for the cats to drink. "You have a lot on your mind, I can tell. Don't push people away from you when you clearly need help."
Iori placed the cat down on the steps, gave it a pet and got up, leaving the bowl and bringing the empty milk carton along as he walked away. He couldn't let anyone see the futuristic expiry date on it now.
"Goodnight," Iori nodded to his younger self as he left.
The redhead watched the strange man disappear down the lane, his face unreadable as he stared after him. But there was something that changed, changed the way that he felt. His phone suddenly buzzed in his pocket, it was a call from someone close to him. The younger Iori stared at it for a moment before taking a deep breath, then answered it.
"Hello, Aiko," Iori greeted as he pressed the device against his ear.