|
|
|
King of Fighters 15, The
|
![]()
|
Swift Shamaness
Chizuru Kagura is a descendant of the Yata clan, one of three powerful clans entrusted with the Sacred Treasures capable of sealing away “Gaia’s Will”, otherwise known as Orochi. Her fighting style resembles traditional Japanese dancing, while her access to the Kagura Style of Ancient Martial Arts allows her to seal away her opponent’s abilities.
She convinces heirs of the other two clans, Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami, to once again join forces and enter the latest KOF in the hopes of revealing the powers behind the appearance of the being known as Verse and the weakening of the seal on Orochi.
|
|
|
|
King of Fighters II
|
|
King of Fighters '97
A press conference with Chizuru Kagura about this year's KOF tournament is currently playing on the TV in "Illusion," King's bar in England.
CHIZURU: "...I know this has already been mentioned in the various media, but once again I'd like to take this opportunity to announce the beginning of the King of Fighters '97."
REPORTER 1: "What exactly is the scale of this year's tournament?"
CHIZURU: "We plan a larger scale than last year for this year's tournament."
REPORTER 2: "As the scale of the tournament gets bigger, I think it will be more difficult to handle any occurrences like those of last year, so what comment do you have about that?"
CHIZURU: "We've strengthened security far above that of the previous tournament and are doing our utmost to provide everyone with a safe tournament."
REPORTER 3: "Didn't you fight at the end of KOF '96? According to the rumors, you plan to enter this year's competition as well. Care to comment on that?"
CHIZURU: "As far as that goes, I can't say that the particulars regarding my team have been decided, but, yes, I will most certainly be entering this year's tournament."
Click, click. Mumble, mumble. Flash, flash.
REPORTER 4: "What's the reason for your entering the competition?"
CHIZURU: "I am, after all, a fighter, and I want to see just how I stack up."
REPORTER 5: "You said things haven't been decided, but just who do you plan to team up with?"
CHIZURU: "Let's just say that for the time being I can't give any names, but I'm going to be negotiating with fighters with whom you are all quite familiar."
KING: "Hmm, so Kagura will be entering, too...Doesn't matter to me, though..."
King watches the press conference broadcast from behind the counter. Just then, Sally the waitress comes toward King, holding something in her hand.
SALLY: "King, you have a letter. Here it is."
KING: "Th-thanks."
The air-mail letter is addressed to King, and Mai Shiranui's name is written in the return address space.
KING: (From Mai? What could this be?)
King takes a quick peek at the contents.
KING: (An airplane ticket?)
Inside the envelope there is a letter and an airplane ticket for Japan. The contents of the letter read: "I have to talk to you about this year's KOF. See you in Japan."
KING: (...This is weird. Ah, well, I guess I'll go since I have something to discuss with Mai as well.)
A few days later, King is in Japan. Relying on the map that was enclosed in the letter, King sees that Mai has already arrived at a modest coffee shop and sits at a seat by the window.
MAI: "King, it's been ages."
KING: "It has been a while, hasn't it?"
MAI: "So, have you got the shop covered?"
KING: "Yeah, I left everything to Sally and Elizabeth."
MAI: "Those twin waitresses of yours. Is that so? Well, I'll just jump keep you up to speed about the King of Fighters, then. It looks like I not going to be finding a third member."
KING: "What about Kasumi?"
MAI: "I tried to contact Kasumi, but she said she's still looking for her father so she took off after him."
KING: "...Ah-hah...Is that so?"
MAI: "And Yuri has to team up with her brother, it seems. I tried a number of other possibilities, but they came up empty too."
KING: "Is that so?"
MAI: "So, it looks like this time, I think I'll give up entering."
KING: "That doesn't sound like you. You're always so gung-ho about gathering up teammates and now you just give up?"
MAI: "I'd like to enter, but it doesn't look like we'll be able to find a third member. And Andy'll probably enter as one of the three stooges again, so maybe I'll just go cheer him on."
KING: "Great, then it all works out. I was thinking of sitting this KOF out too."
MAI: "Oh, really?"
KING: "As a matter of fact, I had planned to take the summer off and travel with Jan. Since Jan was, you know, up till now, I haven't been able to take him anywhere. And since I entered last year, my bar got famous and I've just been so busy, so, since Jan has gotten better, and we haven't spent any time together..."
MAI: "I see.... Jan must be excited."
KING: "Well, no, I haven't told him yet¼Óit's still just in the planning stages."
MAI: "Ah, I see. But if you've decided so quickly, wouldn't it have been faster to call me?"
KING: "I suppose. But you went to all the trouble of getting me a ticket."
MAI: "Huh? A ticket? What're you talking about?"
KING: "Yeah, it was in your letter."
MAI: "Letter? But I got a letter from you...."
KING: "Impossible, I didn't send you any letter...."
WOMAN: "I called you two here."
MAI, KING: "?!"
Mai and King turn in the direction of the voice to find the woman who appeared at the press conference on TV a few days ago standing there.
WOMAN: "It's been a while, hasn't it King and Mai?"
KING: "You're...Chizuru Kagura...it all makes sense now. I had a feeling."
King shows the letter addressed to her to Mai.
MAI: "This is it...?"
KING: "That's the letter that came with the airplane ticket. I thought something was queer about it...I'm sure you got a letter similar to this one, right?"
MAI: "Yeah. I thought it was pretty bizarre too."
CHIZURU: "Forgive me. I thought that if I didn't resort to such a ruse, you two would never have come."
MAI: "Well, the last KOF was no picnic, I'll give you that."
KING: "It's doubtful that I would have come without your name written on the envelope. I'm in no mood to get caught up in some freaky blood feud. But since we're all buddy-buddy now...This must be what you were talking about at the press conference."
MAI: "Ah, the story about her team, yeah!"
CHIZURU: "Yes. I was counting on the power that you showed me in the previous tournament and hope you'll enter with me this year."
MAI: "Unh...well...it's all right with me. How about you, King?"
King takes a moment to think it over and formulate an answer.
KING: "...Can't you try someone else? I would have liked to have entered with you, but this year I'd like to devote my time to Jan and give him something special to remember."
MAI: "...Well, if King won't enter, I think I'll pass, too."
KING: "Mai..."
CHIZURU: "Very well.... I guess I'll have to cancel the four sets of tickets I prepared for each venue..."
KING: "Four sets of tickets?"
CHIZURU: "Yeah, an extra set for your brother."
KING: "Tickets for Jan?"
MAI: "Ah, I see. That means you can enter the tournament and Jan can join you, too."
KING: "...But...do you think he'd enjoy traveling around for KOF?"
MAI: "Are you kidding? Didn't he tell you how proud he was to see you fight? If that's the case then he should really be glad to actually see you in action."
CHIZURU: "How about it? Will you do me the honor?"
KING: "..."
MAI: "King...."
KING: "...OK...I'm in. I'll enter. But in return we'll have to do our best to win our matches and go on to all of the venues to show Jan around the world. If we don't, it won't be worth it."
MAI: "Leave it to me. We're in this to win."
KING: "OK.... Well, then, Chizuru, it looks like I'm in."
MAI: "It'll be my pleasure to enter with you."
CHIZURU: "No, the pleasure will be all mine."
|
|
|
|
King of Fighters '03
The figure of her elder sister, presumed murdered, is always nearby.
This is not expressing things poetically. Those who were to head the House of Kagura were always meant to be these female identical twins - Chizuru and Maki Kagura.
In the windows of buildings, in a car's rearview mirror, in a city shop's show window, even on the surface of a pond - Chizuru's own reflection was the spitting image of her departed sister, with lavish and long hair tied in back, its length flowing down to her waist, and that same distinctive bearing.
"Yagami...Uh, begging your pardon, Master Yasakani has arrived."
"And Kyo Kusanagi?"
"He has yet to grace us with his presence."
"Really, that is exquisite. It would be highly unlikely for those two to meet cordially with each other anyway, don't you think?"
Chizuru Kagura responds from the other side of a shoji screen. Her sigh dissipates into the air of this building that suggests a grand and tranquil Shinto shrine.
"Please tell him that I will be right there."
"Wouldn't it be preferable to let him wait a tad longer?"
"Whatever for?"
"......"
"If you're worrying about me, I'm fine. I've just been a little fatigued recently - that's all."
"Then I suppose I have nothing to worry about."
"I'm fine.... Yes, quite fine."
* * * * *
When he leaves the grand entrance of the Kagura house, Iori Yagami refuses the car waiting for him, ignores those seeing him off, and hoofs it out the gate.
The cobblestone road running through this neighborhood of established families is paved with well-beveled stones, and not only is it well-kempt it is regularly rinsed to keep it immaculate.
But Yagami, oblivious to his elegant surroundings, continues to press on homeward.
With his well-tempered body poised, his red hair complements the keen glint in his eyes.
(Bah!)
As he remembers the previous discussion at the Kagura house, an inexpressible anger with no target to unleash it on wells up within him.
After a five-minute walk, he reaches a railway that cuts through the rows of old houses.
His gaze sets upon a lone figure astride a motorcycle on the other side of the train tracks.
Yagami freezes to a halt.
The man wears a helmet with a full-face visor, making it impossible to discern his identity.
But for Yagami, there's no question as to who this person is.
(......)
The two stand motionless on opposite sides of the track. Only the motorcycle's engine dares to make a sound, producing a low and well-regulating purr.
Before long a train nears and warning bells ring out.
The yellow and black colored railroad crossing gate slowly descends between the two.
The man on the motorcycle raises a hand to the visor of his helmet.
At the instant Iori thinks he can make out the rider's face, the train rushes between them.
(It's him all right.)
That instant was all that was needed.
Another train passes by from the opposite direction, and although the line of vision remains obstructed, Iori needs no further confirmation.
When the trains pass on, the figure of the motorcycle rider is nowhere to be seen.
Iori can make out the noise of a motorcycle engine fading away in the distance.
(Who'd believe me teaming up with that clown? Bah!)
Yagami's face, bordered by his red bangs, breaks into a, for want of a better word, "smile."
History, deprecation, cynicism, hate, madness, disdain, and fate.
A variety of inexpressible emotions fill Yagami's soul when he faces off against his nemesis. The only thing that can expunge these overwhelming emotions he finds impossible to handle is the act of fighting.
* * * * *
"So you haven't been riding recently I gather, have you?"
Kyo Kusanagi, led into the inner rooms of the Kagura estate, poses this question to his host as he comes face to face with Chizuru.
Kyo had noticed two bikes left idle next to him as he parked his motorcycle.
They were carefully maintained, but he could tell that no one had used them for quite a while.
"No, not recently. You haven't changed, I see."
"I wish I could say so. I've had quite a lot on my plate recently."
Chizuru kneels before him with impeccable posture. For Chizuru, who sits perfectly still, this is the manner of natural dignity befitting the leader of the House of Kagura. But in all honesty, Chizuru is not exactly Kyo's cup of tea.
"I saw Yagami just a few minutes ago."
"......Oh, really?"
"So, to what do I owe the pleasure this time? What pressing matter would call for you to simultaneously summon not just me but Yagami as well to your humble abode?
"It appears that I should just be frank with you."
"You can be whoever you want, just give it to me straight."
"I would like you to join the "Three Divine Vessels" team in this years King of Fighters tournament. That would mean the three of us 社 Me. Kyo Kusanagi, uh, that's you, of course. ...And Iori Yagami."
"Are you bonkers? Regardless of what I'm about to say, there's no way that Yagami-crud would agree to such a proposal."
"He already has."
"...Are you yanking my dangly?"
Unbelievable. Yagami himself had, of all things, already acceded to Chizuru's request.
"Hey, just what sort of spell did you cast on him anyway?"
"If Yasakani had not lent us his strength..."
"If?"
"Both the Kusanagi and the Yata are sure to suffer defeat."
"......"
"It was probably too much for him to stomach: someone beside himself defeating the Kusanagi."
"Now you're just being wack. Just who would defeat whom?!"
Chizuru shuts her eyes.
"Answer me! Are you telling me that I'm someone who can't win without Yagami's help?"
"Perhaps...that is the case."
"Kagura!!!"
The atmosphere becomes tense between the two.
Then for some reason, the image of the two motorcycles comes to mind. They are two models of the exact same type of motorcycle which appear to have been abandoned.
"...Nuts, well, whatever. Anyway, the whoopla keeps me from becoming bored out of my skull every year."
"Thank you...I'm grateful."
Kyo snatches up his helmet resting at his side and stands up.
"I told you it was a way to relieve the boredom, didn't I? There's no need to thank me."
|