Half a Week Before the Winter (open to all)

[Riika]

Sound of honking and yelling fill the streets of New York City outside of Riika's hotel room. The lights are off and the curtains shut, but still, lights and sounds flood in. She's curled up in a ball, her brown cat ears practically glued to her head in fear, her tail curled around her. She's always been afraid of New York. She glances over to the bed next to her. Her older sister, Riazza was supposed to be sleeping there, but she got some of her art featured in an art show here. She was working with the art dealer at the museum and wouldn't be here till later. Joey, her little brother, was in the room next door. She heard his loud snores clearly. HE could sleep through everything.

Standing, she hugs the sheet around her and goes over to the window, peeking out. It's practically day out there with all the lights. The fact that her cat eyes made her eye-sight even better didn't help. She opened the sliding glass door and stepped out, shivering imediatly. A baggy old T-shirt and sweat shorts weren't really good in the cold December air. She hugs the blanket closer to her, her breath showing. She sighs. I wish we never came here...

[K']

Sonuske was walking about in the streets of New York, enjoying the city lights and scenery. He stretched his arms up into the air, taking a deep breath of the not so fresh air of the Big Apple. To be honest, it didn't exactly smell nice to breathe in so much of that air, all the cars and other vehicle fumes were now in his lungs. It shouldn't be enough to kill him though.

He continued on his aimless path through the streets, being peppered into the large crowd of people that were also walking around at this hour, which was surprisingly big. He stuck his hands in his pockets, trying to warm them up a little. He was dressed for the cold weather, with everything except a pair of gloves. His entire body was warm with the exception of his hands, which he cursed at himself for forgetting his gloves at home.

Sonuske could feel the presence of someone kind of different from everyone else around him, and he instinctively looked up to see a girl standing on a balcony looking down. He could easily fly up and talk to her, but that would seem strange to everyone else around him. So he decided to ease his way over like a normal person, how he would get up there he hadn't figured out yet. Nor why he was trying to talk to her.

(Sorry it took so long and if it doesn't make any sense. I"m kinda sleepy so.... i just typed whatever came into my mind.)

[Riika]

Riika sighed, her tail switshing back and forth under the sheet. She pulled it over her head a little, so no one could see her ears. Also, all this loud noise was giving a her a small headache. She brushed some of her brown bangs from her golden brown eyes and looked around. New York City was so big and scary compaired to her home back in St. Louis. She was glad they'd be leaving in two days, hopefully. She sighed and promptly sneezed, a cute little sound that sound more like a little squeek. Riika rubbed his nose and yawned, her slightly longer K-nines showing.

Her eyes moved up to the sky. No stars...no moon...how could anyone servive this place. She shivered.
"I'm stupid. Why didn't I bring my coat?" she muttered to her self. Riika turned to go back inside when a shiver when down her spine. She felt someone's eyes on her, and Riika did NOT like the spotlight on her. At. All. Turning slowly, she scanned the balconies, windows, rooftops. Nothing. Looking down, she bit her lower lip. It could be anyone down there.

Quickly, she walked in the room, shutting the sliding glass door, locking it, and closing the blinds. Next, she went to the door and made sure it was locked. It was. Riika curled up in her bed again, hugging her pillow, her blankets over her whole body, even her head was under hem. She tried to calm down. It was probibly normal to be looked at in New York. Yeah, just some random person that happened to look up and see her. At least, that's what she told herself. Riika yawned and closed her eyes, trying to go to sleep.

[Kyo Kusanagi]

The two men made their stroll down the streets of New York. Although the King of Fighters Tournament had not started yet, they would both need to train their bodies for the upcoming battle of legends. The two men, Kyo Kusanagi and Shingo Yabuki had entered KoF since at least 1997, for Kyo even before then. Both men had their share of the dangerous death-defying battles in multiple arenas around the planet. Kyo knew that each KoF usually had an evil villain or organization behind it causing havoc, but even he couldn't believe that every villain they destroyed, except for Orochi, would return in this years KoF. The big questions where: How they returned and who brought them back from the dead. I suppose we will find out in this KoF. Kyo thought to himself as he took a turn, his happy yet stupid disciple following him.

Shingo was still curious as to why and where Kyo was leading him to some random location, but he never the less would follow Master Kyo. This was mostly due to his masters selfless actions in teaching Shingo the Kusanagi fighting style, and due to the fact that there many evils returning in this years King of Fighters tournament. "Are we almost there master?" Shingo asked calmly but Kyo gave no response or even hand and body motion. He simply continued walking and Shingo quietly followed Kyo onto a different street passing a nearby hotel.

[K']

Sonuske sighed and was a bit disappointed when the girl on the balcony went back inside and closed the curtains. "Well, that's no fun." He pouted folding his arms over his chest. "Guess I'll just have to see her from the inside then." He said with a devilish grin as he continued on his walk towards the hotel. He figured he had already fought through the crowds to make his way across the street, so why turn back now just because she apparently didn't want to be seen? It's never stopped him before and it wasn't stopping him now.

Sonuske kept walking until he was walking opposite two men who seemed strange to him. He could almost sense that they weren't just any ordinary people, actually, one of them mainly Kyo Kusanagi, really stuck out to him. "Hey.... You." He said stopping directly infront of the two. "You're Mr. Kusanagi aren't you?" He asked curiously. He had to know if this was the infamous Serpent of Flames he had heard so much about. His gaze however kept glancing over at the hotel door's that he had planned to walk through soon, he wasn't going to be forgetting going to see that lady from the balcony.

[Riika]

Sleep never came. It was cold in the hotel room and despite the fact that it was a good hotel, the blankets were warm. Riika sighed and threw the blankets off her.
"Hot Chocolate. Hot Chocolate and a muffin will cure this. " she muttered. Grabbing her cell, she flipped it open and turned it on. As it was fully loaded, a picture of her best friends Danya and Jerens, were her screen savor. She found her sister cell number and texted her.
"Meet me in the coffee shop..." she muttered as she typed it in. She sent the text and set it down.

Standing, she dug around in her suitcase, throwing some clothes on the bed. Removes the shirt and shorts, she changed. Riika now wore a brown, ruffled skirt that stopped above her knees and a black long sleeve shit with a red, Panic! At the Disco shirt over it. Pulling on some boots she stared at herself in the mirror. She sighs and closed her eye.
"Humaticus Shaminus.:" she whispers. Covering her mouth to stifle her scream, her tail shrank into her and her ears did as well. Two human ears formed on each side of her face. The spell ended and she panted softly. Recovering, she looks into the mirror. Riika looked human. No cat ears-just human ones- and no tail. She sighed and pulled on her AC/DC hoodie and grabbed her ipod and Sweeney Todd purse. Going out of her room, she locked the door and slipped her room key into her hoodie pocket.

Riika went down the steps, going into he main room. After making a few turns, she found her way to the starbucks cart in the hotel. Smiling, the warm smell of coffee and food over whelmed her and she sighed content. Getting into the short line, she waited, looking around all the missed calls and texts on her cell, replying to a few of them. She smiles softly. Only two more days. Then I'm home again.

[Kyo Kusanagi]

Kyo stared at the man infront of him. No doubt this man had power, and Kyo could sense it. The man's question was one every fan had asked except for Shingo. Shingo knew right away and for some reason his pestering led to him becoming his protege of sorts. "Yeah, but sorry, don't do autographs. Last time I did that I got him." he grumbled as he jokingly pointed at Shingo who only pouted.

Shingo then mumbled," No need to make it sound like I'm a pest Mr. Kusanagi." he grumbled as he noticed the mans stair towards the hotel. He then looked up and remembered earlier there was a girl outside the balcony and she was rather pretty. Shingo then looked back at the newcomer and gave him a curious stare. Perhaps he has a crush on her? he thought to himself.

[K']

Sonuske laughed. "No no, you got me all wrong. I didn't want an autograph, I just came to shake your hand. Also to see if it was really you." He said waving away the idea of an autograph as if it were a pesky fly. The last thing he wanted was an autograph, it was this man's fault for him being as unstable as he was now. But he couldn't fight him here, he would wait until the tournament started.... He could fight him all out there, without worrying about civilians.

He turned to Shingo as he spoke, and tilted his head as Shingo stared at him. "What? Can I help you? Or is there something on my face?" He asked, trying to figure out just what in the hell the guy was staring at. He turned his attention back to Kyo Kusanagi and gave him a big, almost eerie looking grin as he extended his hand.

He somehow sensed that the girl had relocated to another area, but he didn't know where. 'Damnit!' He cursed at himself inwardly for letting her get away. He sighed, angered at himself for letting himself get too distracted with these two. But no matter, he could just find her again.

[Riika]

I was right. Hot Coco and a muffin can cure anything. Riika thought as she paid for her chocolate chip muffin and hot chocolate. She stepped away from the line and looked around. There weren't any tables left for her to sit at. She then remembered that there were some tables right outside the hotel. Deciding to risk the cold, Riika began walking toward the main hotel doors. She hummed softly to herself as she walked.

As soon as she opened the doors, the cold air and gross smells hit her. Sighing, she walked outside the hotel and right into someone.
"Oh! I'm sorry!" Riika said quickly, stepping back. She saw three men. One had longish-brown hair and brown eyes. A white cloth was tied around his forehead. The man next to him seemed younger and was shorter. Her also had brown hair and eyes, though his hair was shorter and like the other man, had a white strip of cloth tied around his head. He was the one she bumped into. The other man had blond hair and green eyes. Riika smiled at them and walked over to one of the tables. One good thing about New York. The guys are SO hot!

She sat down at an empty table and put in her headphones. Turning on her ipod, the song Addicted by Saving Abel came on and she hummed softly. Sipping at her hot coco and munching on her muffin, she looked around at the New Yorkers. She did what she tended to do best, sit there and people watch. She fond that you could learn a lot of things that way. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the same three men standing there.

[Kyo Kusanagi]

Shingo rubbed his head nervously," Oh I was just wondering why you kept staring at the balcony, perhaps you are friends with the girl?" he asked as Kyo shot him a 'it's none of our business look' which promptly shut Shingo up. As irony and coincidence would have it the very girl bumped into him" Oh no problem." he said nervously as he looked away.

Kyo sighed as he watched his bumbling apprentice well, bumble. He sighed and grumbled," Shingo, dude, I gotta teach ya about women." Kyo then quietly turned his attention back to the guy and sighed. This guy, gives off an awkward aura, almost like K'. Which is bad for me. This very thought led to Kyo sighing at the fact that Iori and K' both wanted him either dead or beaten the hell out of respectively during the KoF tournament. And he was still a man down for his team. Kyo raised an eyebrow at this fellows grin but calmly shook his hand with a calm smile of his own. "Well uh nice to meet you....uh..." he began to say as he realized he didn't know the name of this stranger.

[K']

"Friends with her?" Sonuske repeated almost bursting out in laughter. He figured it had something to do with the girl, but he didn't expect this guy to be so blunt about it. He chuckled as Kyo shot him a glare which got him quiet.

"To be honest I don't know her at all..." He said, not even two seconds after had finished this sentence, the very girl he was talking about bumped into one of them. He eyed her catiously as she walked away, he had to admit she was cute, but that's not why he wanted to speak with her. He would try and coax her into joining the KoF Tournament, he wanted all the strongest to be there so he could prove his worth to himself. Maybe if he won, his family would love him again.

As he and Kyo shook hands and continued to grin. "So, you're as brave as they say, Kyo Kusanagi." He said finally letting go of his hand. "I'm Sonuske, Sonuske Chitari." He introduced with a nod of his head. "So, I'm going to go and talk to that woman, you two may join me if you wish." He said rather bluntly as he stalked off towards the table she was sitting at.

[Riika]

She finished her muffin quickly, moving onto just sipping at her very hot, hot coco. Addicted ended and Hero's and Thieves by Vanessa Carlton came on. Riika smiled. Anywhere else, she would sing along, but she didn't want to attract any attention to herself here. She closed her eyes and tapped out the beat lightly on the table with her fingers.

Taking a big gulp of her hot coco, she felt a burning sensation. Swallow, she opened her eyes and stuck out her tongue, waving her hand it it, making a few muttered ows. The cool air cooled it off and she relaxed. A dusting of pink was on her cheeks from embarrassment at the spectacle she had just made.

Settling down into her chair, she took more careful sips of her drink. A small chill went down her spine and she had the feeling of being watched. Turning, she jumped a bit. The blond man from the three men was right next to her. Pausing the song, Riika removed her head phones and gave him a nervous smile.
"Um, hi. Can I help you?" she asked him. She grasped the cup of hot coco firmly in her hand, ready to throw the liquid on him and run if he tried anything.

[Kyo Kusanagi]

Kyo simply rolled his eyes at the mans upfront way of greeting the girl as she stared back at him. Kyo quietly grumbled," Must you be so upfront?" he asked repeating his very thoughts as he followed, having nothing better to do. Shingo quietly following didn't have much to say about the mans actions but could tell the girl was slightly nervous toward his upfront approach. He decided to quietly just watch the event unfold in front of him as he quietly ordered himself a water and grabbed a different seat at a different table nearby. Kyo chuckled at Shingo's somewhat smarter response to Sonuske's flirting and quietly joined him," We better let the player do his work Shingo." he said with a grin as he ordered a water as well.

[K']

"Yeah you can actually." Sonuske said with a smile. "I'm no good at beating around the bush so I'll just straight out say it." He started, his smile disappearing and a serious expression creeping upon his face. "You seem stronger than normal humans, you ever hear of a tournament called King Of Fighters? I want you to join it. It won't mean anything winning if all the best aren't competing." He said rather bluntly. Contrary to what Kyo and Shingo thought, he wasn't here to flirt with her, he could sense that she had power and he wanted to coax her into participating in KoF. So that he could prove that he was truly the best of the best, just as he was born to be.