Lost Love

Rune of iori

Whenever large trucks passed underneath, the walkway shook.

Exposed to the elements, the walkway paint had peeled, and rust slowly ate away at the structure. The dilapidated structure looked like an animal carcass left to rot in the sun.

Iori Yagami climbed the skeleton and stopped to view the night's moon.

"............."

When the cigarette in his right hand was reduced to ash, Iori spoke.

"...What do ghosts want with me?"

His line of sight moved from the heavens to the earth, locking onto a shadow lurking by the edge of the walkway.

"Have you appeared to spit your grudges at me? Or do you feel like dying by my hand again?"

The darkness responded to Iori's words.

"That's some way to greet us, Yagami... It's been so long."
"Look at the sky once more. ...Don't you remember what I told you before? We'll meet again on a full moon."
"..........."

The seductive voices elicited no immediate response from Iori. The shadow squirmed under Iori's gaze. Quietly, gradually, the shadow began to take form.

When it finally made the transition from the 2nd dimension to the 3rd, the shadow had taken on the look of two shapely women in business suits.

Iori cast aside the cigarette butt and muttered.

"...What regrets do you have that tie you here?"
"Regrets? We have none."

The redhead Vice answered as she twisted and stretched her body. The display made her look like a snake ready to strike.

"...It wasn't our desire to come here."
"So why are you here?"
"I wonder why. ...Maybe it's because you were all so much more incompetent than we expected?"

Mature, the blonde woman, answered Iori cryptically as she held the eyepatch on her right eye and smiled.

"...What are you trying to say?"
"Kagura was defeated, and now you too, Yagami? By that Ash Crimson boy?"
"We're hearing that some strange group is after the power of Orochi, right? ’Those From the Distant Land,’ was it?"
"...I don't care."
"Of course you don't. You don't even care about yourself."
"But we have to care."
"It's vexing just having someone come and take Orochi's power, you know?"
"That's why we came. Because you humans couldn't prevent it from going this far."

The three eyes of the women shone mysteriously. Iori's lips curled into a wicked smirk.

"I commend you for coming all the way here to clean up Kagura's mess. But what can YOU do?"
"I think the proper phrasing is what can WE do? We both have reasons to use each other, right?"
"You want to find Ash Crimson, and we are looking for that group... If we form a team and advance through the tournament, we'll certainly both achieve our goals.”
"...I say this every time, but it's a pointless farce."
"You’re right. But in the end, the fastest path is to play along with that farce. And you can't play without teammates, Yagami."
"Hmph..."

Iori let out an apathetic grunt and started walking. He passed between Vice and Mature and walked down the staircase.

"Let me tell you now: If you don't serve my purpose--"
"Yes, we know already."

Vice stifled her laugh.

"We'll be looking forward to seeing your strength without your flames. I'm sure you won't disappoint us."
"...Your smooth-tongue hasn't faded even after death, I see."

As he reached the bottom of the stairs, Iori stopped and turned around

The women were gone; the only thing Iori saw past the front of his hair was the blue moon.

"..........."
Iori pulled out another cigarette and lit it with an old lighter...