"'97 Damage" by Gunsmith. All characters are copyright by their respective companies, especially SNK. This is a fan fiction, and may waver from the official storyline *to make it more interesting, ne?* ;) . Prologue. The King of Fighters Tournament. 1997. The Greatest Fighters of the world unite... some representing their country, some with scores to settle, but in the end, the basic aim is to push each others face in.... At the bustling Entry Hall, Ryo Sakazaki and Terry Bogard meet: "Hello Terry-san!" "How are you, Ryo!" "Fine, and you?" "OOKAY!" "Doh!" As the two friends exchange pleasantries, a chill suddenly ran down Terry's spine. He looks over his shoulder to find Iori Yagami staring at him. Terry set his jaw and stared right back as he thought to himself "I can't let this guy get the pschological advantage!". Iori walked over to him, maintaning his icy glare. A pace away, Iori stopped and said: "Waga oya no, Shinuru toki ni mo, He o kokite." With that, Iori sneered. He turned away and strode towards the queue for fighters entry. Terry looked at Ryo. "That guy is really scary. But he won't intimidate me! Erm, what did he actually say? Was it a curse or something? Sounded like I'm gonna rip your arms off and feed you to the ducks..." Ryo scratched his head. "Well, actually he said 'Even as my father lay dying, I farted'" Terry felt a bead of sweat run down his cheek. ________ Shingo awoke to see a blurred image of Kyo Kusanagi staring at him. "Sensei..." He reached out with his hand, only then realising it was the KOF poster for 1995. He looked to his left, where the Todo alarm clock sat on his bedside cabinet. It was 8.30 am. "Aw man," he thought "I gotta sign up! I wonder if sensei has got up already?...". He looked at the ceiling and wondered if 5 mins more sleep would hurt. He turned over to his right, to discover Benimaru's quietly snoring face, inches away from his. "wa-wa-waWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" --------- In the KOF parking lot, Billy Cane twirled his pole. He spun it around his hands, faster and faster. "I'm the best," he thought "Iori and that Terry scum bag are gonna get theirs!" A female voice interrupted his train of thought-"Are you ready?". Blue Mary cruised by him on her bicycle. "Hey hey hey" he replied, "You betcha!". He twirled his pole faster than ever before.... "I'll see you at the entry hall!" she said without looking back. Billy watched her perfectly toned body ride away. He totally forgot about his pole until it knocked him in his chin, before dropping to the ground with a clatter. "Owwwwww...." he muttered to himself. He looked around, rubbing his chin, and confident that no one was looking, picked up his pole and sucked his thumb. "That smarts!" --------- Kyo sat with Goro Daimon on the balcony of the Peace Hotel. He held some envelopes in his hand. He felt a gloom coming over him. His gut instinct was not to open them. They were almost certainly messengers of doom. He looked at Goro. "You hungry, big man?" Goro stayed looking out into the blue sky "uh uh.". "Well," said Kyo, "How about a drink?". Goro did not reply but held up his glass of orange juice and took a sip. "In the five years we've known each other, you dont bloody well say much, do you?" To this outburst, Goro turned round and looked at Kyo with a raised eyebrow. "I'm sorry, Goro, I didn't mean it. I just... I just got these today..." Kyo fumbled with the unopened envelopes "I don't wanna open them!". Goro reached over and took 2 envelopes. He gently tore open one and read it. It said: "To Kyo Kusanagi. Bill is as follows: 1 burnt sparring suit 2 melted punching bags 1 charred stick man... Total comes to $703 American dollars Make cheques payable to "KYOGENRYU KARATE HALL" Yours Sincerely T.Sakazaki." Goro opened the next envelope, with a hand that was not so steady now.. "To Mr. K.Kusanagi. I know you live here! You've gotta pay for your bloody careless flambe bar-b-q you had at my restaurant last summer! I have not forgotten! This is the 11th and LAST time I write! Gimme the cash or I send in the lawyers! -King" Goro looked at Kyo. There was silence... And some more... Finally Kyo couldn't take any more "What? What!" he shouted. Goro shrugged his shoulders, crunched the letters into a ball, and flung them over his left shoulder. ------------- (c) Gunsmith 1997.