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Instinct and Empathy	By : Fenris30 Category: +G through L > King of Fighters Views: 1607 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the King of Fighters fandom, nor anything therein. No money or profit is made from this work.

Chapter List
- 6
- 7
The rain had started again this past week, after a couple of days of reprieve.
It had been roughly a week and a half since what felt like one of the more decisive blows they dealt to Those from the Past; no one had heard so much as a peep from them after that night. Those knocked out had been arrested, though seemingly had very little useful to say. The more important members had gone silent, perhaps licking their wounds. Rumors were abound that some disappeared from holding, but no one could confirm nor deny.
There were also some hushed, fearful reports about the shape of some of their assassins and lackeys, but anyone who knew who Iori and what had happened in previous tournaments managed to piece together what happened there.
They said nothing.
Iori now sat hunched over the noodles in front of him; he slurped some down, sipping the coffee the man had given him. He was at his favorite place; well, in so much as Iori had a favorite place. 'Favorite Place' to Iori meant 'the one he liked slightly more than the others.'
Or, perhaps, 'the one he disliked less.'
His raincoat was still on, as he often didn't bother taking his coat off at this place. It was completely empty this morning; not many people wanted to stop in for greasy ramen bowls at ten a.m., but Iori was in the mood. His sleep had been rough the past few nights again, though he wasn't sure why. He still had his cursed blood, though he felt like he had better control now of it than ever...he knew it wasn't perfect, and probably would never be; if anything, he had no idea what having Orochi back at even a third of his power would do to him, and he wasn't particularly keen to find out.
He figured he'd never be able to explain his restless nights fully. It didn't take much to set them off.
As he took another bite he heard the door creak open and the bells attached to it ring, followed by some light footsteps. As the person got closer, a familiar scent entered his nostrils as he breathed in, closing his eyes.
“You know...” he started. As usual, he had second thoughts about the call he made, thinking it was pointless.
“You hung up. I know,” Athena pushed her hood down, smiling sadly at him. It had only been about ten days, but given how they had separated, she wasn't sure what was going to happen. She hadn't heard anything from him, at all, that past week and a half. She didn't know if he was hurt, or if he just needed time...or if he had decided to just hide himself away. Or if he had snapped somewhere.
Or worse.
She tried to keep occupied with her training, some duties around the dojo, meeting with other people...and even booking a gig that she would have about two months from now. She didn't play live as much as she used to, but she would come out for one now and again.
It wasn't that long, and Athena wasn't the pining type...but she was the worrying type, especially when it came to Iori these days. She had been concerned about him for years, and now that they had...something...for at least awhile, it only made it worse. Every day that passed her stomach would twist, and she would try to push out the most negative thoughts; the fact she was almost optimistic to a fault probably got her through those days fairly calm.
Taking off her raincoat, she walked over to him. His hand came up-which she did not flinch from-as he cradled the side of her head with it for a moment, his expression fairly neutral.
To her surprise, he pulled her into a fierce kiss; something similar to what he gave her the first night. Right in the place, he did not seem to care if anyone could see from the back or not. Much like that night, it had that almost desperate feel. She fell into it though, sliding her hand around to the back of his muscular neck as he raked his fingers down her back.
It broke after what felt to be a long time as he sat back, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. She noticed the man in the back preparing something, glancing up at her as he did, nodding once.
Iori's hand had slid down her arm and took hers, his thumb running over her smooth skin.
“Did you order for me?”
He nodded.
“...I thought you hung up?” she smiled.
He gave a tiny shrug in response before turning and going back to his food in silence. The owner brought hers over and she took a bite, still wondering how a place that she thought may or may not pass an inspection depending on the day managed to get everything tasting so good.
Looking over at him, she gave him a knowing smile. “How have...you been holding up?”
He shrugged again. “Some trouble sleeping again. It's usual though. The bastards doing this have gone into hiding...but...” he sighed. “You know how it is.”
She nodded. “I'm...so sorry.” She still thought of that night, and how he had looked even more upset walking away than he did that time four years ago...and she couldn't remember how long it had been since she had felt like she had been punched in the gut.
He shook his head. “It was a bad night.”
She reached up and touched the side of his face. “No, it wasn't. Not for you.” Seeing him actually wrestle control for as long as he did gave her a renewed optimism about his entire situation.
He smiled slightly at that. “I don't know if...that was usual.”
“Maybe it can be.”
“Still idealistic.” He finished his noodles, sipped some coffee, and lit a cigarette. He leaned his chin in his hand on the counter, seemingly staring out into space.
She shrugged. “Someone has to be.”
Snorting in response, he blew out a thin stream of smoke as he turned his head to the side to look at her. He was silent for a few moments, his eyes focused on hers with an ever so slight melancholy expression. “I thought you were done with me.”
“Never,” Athena said, so quickly that she even surprised herself.
Iori was incredibly relieved to hear that, though he didn't particularly show it, as was usual for him. He turned the stool so he was facing her, sliding his boot over to rest on the rung of hers. “”What do you want?” he asked.
She thought, shrugging. “Can we just do what we've been doing?” Realizing she didn't want to come off as only wanting a...particular thing, she blushed. “I mean everything. Not just...” she sputtered, taking a sip of tea.
He chuckled, a wicked smirk appearing in the corner of his mouth for a second as he absently reached over to put his hand over hers for a moment. “Tell me before you come over.”
She smiled at him, having regained her composure. Looking him over, he looked weary. She realized that Iori generally only had a few overall looks; grumpy, angry, enraged, and weary being the usual. She noticed 'contentment' starting to appear now and again at his apartment...and she could see a hint of it in his eyes, but he still looked weary.
Can you blame him? He fights with himself at least two thirds of his waking life.
He took his hand away, but kept looking at her. He actually missed her this week, and that night had hit him harder than anything in years...the last time he felt that way was back when their ki had intertwined all of those years ago and he had feared he had hurt her. When she flinched, it felt like someone had stabbed him; that had been one of the first times he had even felt that. Even back in his old disaster of a relationship, when that ended, it had been more of a tragic mess but he felt less wounded and more just overall enraged at the entire situation.
But given she hadn't hesitated when he was blood-soaked before...he wasn't sure what happened. No one did. Athena didn't even know why she had flinched.
She didn't see the expression on his face when he was hunting the men down, enraged. He knew he had been excessively brutal with the people...but he knew they tried to wake his Orochi blood up for the sole purpose of attacking her first before using him as a pawn, and that made him even more vindictive than he had been in ages. The little of his mind that he had managed to hold onto had enjoyed ripping the men to pieces and smashing them.
“You're here for longer, right?” Iori shook out of his morbid train of thought.
“Actually...yeah. We'll be here indefinitely. I'll have to leave sometimes but...”
Iori actually grinned a moment. “Coming over today?”
“If you want me to.”
He nodded, his smile softening to a slight grin.“Yes.” He wanted to spend some time with her again, to do...well, other things again too, he couldn't lie to himself.
It was strange to him how he felt such a measure of relief that she didn't abandon him. He shouldn't have cared. But with his only company being the little cat the past few days, he started to feel a crushing loneliness that he hadn't felt in awhile. A long time, in fact...since he had been young.
He was still confused, to be sure, but he'd at least see where he could take this. If it became something, it did. If it stayed how it was, he would be okay with that as well; he didn't mind their little...friends-with-something-more that they had either.
Looking up at her again-he had spent a lot of time looking at the floor-he noticed her touching the pick around her neck. That made him smile ever so slightly. Iori typically didn't smile too often, unless he was fighting, and then it was not something one wanted to see.
As she ate her noodles, she noticed a set of keys on the counter; these were not his normal house keys which he always just kept in his pants pocket. “...What are those?”
“Car,” he said, blowing a bit of smoke out.
Athena blinked. “You...have a car?”
He nodded. “Just don't use it much. No need. The rain, though...” It had been harder and more miserable than in a long time. “Decided to dust it off and take it out.”
She laughed. “I'm surprised the rain wasn't too much before.”
“I hate traffic,” he snorted.
“I...should have guessed.” She could not imagine him being the most patient with bad drivers, leading him to choose to walk.
Going back to her food, she occasionally glanced at him; he was patiently waiting, sipping at another cup of coffee that had been brought out. Iori could be impatient when it came to some things, but when it came down to waiting for Athena, it didn't matter.
She finished quickly anyway, very curious to see the car he drove.
Having already paid, he stood and stretched before grabbing everything off of the counter. “Out back,” he said, heading out before her.
Chuckling-Iori was not exactly the gentleman who held open doors or waited-she grabbed her own coat, pulled up the hood and walked out, catching up to him quickly.
They reached the car; it was an older model manual four-seater, a little sportier than most, though the dark gray paint job was a bit dull and chipped, and it had definitely seen better days. Unlocking her side first-perhaps looking a touch sheepish that he often didn't act the gentleman-he let her in before he went around and climbed in himself.
Athena pushed the hood down, laughing to herself. It looked almost exactly as she pictured it. Wrappers, empty coffee cups, empty cigarette boxes, what seemed to be a small bass amp shoved on the back seat with some guts taken out, a button-down shirt that looked like it had been here awhile, and other odds and ends. The stereo looked fairly nice, as she also imagined, given his musical bent.
Iori adjusted himself, popping the car on to get the window down; she was surprised it had electric windows. He shoved a smoke into his mouth, leaning back in the seat a few moments to light it and relax. As he lay back on the seat, he turned his head to look at her.
“Sorry it's a mess,” he said, snorting laughter.
She laughed. “You know I don't care.” She was never meticulous; she was tidy, though didn't mind a bit of clutter, and after staying so much time at Iori's warehouse-like apartment she had started to grow more accustomed to it.
He put the cigarette down in the ashtray-he had emptied it recently, at least-and leaned in finally, seemingly wanting to kiss her again. She gladly obliged.
Iori's kiss was once again one of that rough sort of hunger that he would get; after the lone week and a half, and a long time to think, he missed her quite a bit. He could have moved on-and would have, if she had been too afraid to see him again, though he wouldn't have been happy. Still, he decided to try to call her...just in case.
He didn't know why, but he had a feeling she would respond.
Biting her lower lip again, he was getting quite hard with it this time, causing her to squeal...though not pull away. Neither cared they were in the car, as there was no one around anyway; his was the only one in the lot at the moment that was even in any sort of repair; there were one or two other stripped vehicles scattered around.
Pulling away, Iori shifted, already feeling himself get hard. Looking in the backseat, he regret there was just not a lot of room back there; the small amp and the other odds and ends just took up too much room, and given Iori had a tall, long-limbed frame, working in the front seats was out, too.
He grit his teeth, turning on the car the rest of the way.
Athena laughed; she was beginning to get fairly turned on as well, and could tell Iori's predicament at the moment. Patting his hand which rest on the stick shift, she grinned.
“We can wait until we get to your place.”
He nodded, smirking a moment as he stuck a cigarette into his mouth and lit it before pulling out.
Iori was a surprisingly good driver. While he did drive fast, he was not what she imagined many people would imagine him to be. South Town's streets-particularly around this area-were littered with potholes, trash, and puddles, though the ride wasn't terribly bumpy.
She simply leaned back in the seat, relaxing. The car did have a distinct smell of cigarettes...but it also smelled like him. She imagined he had slept in it a few times during his musical career.
Reaching his apartment quickly, he parked in one of the alleys nearby; he didn't seem concerned about it. It was nice to not have to walk in the rain for once.
Running inside, the apartment building had a more dank feel than usual.
“Leak somewhere”, he snorted. “Not on my floor.”
She chuckled; she was surprised the place even had a landlord. She looked at him. “You ever consider moving?”
He shook his head. “I like the fact there aren't many people here.”
Athena should have known Iori would take isolation over comfort. Still, he seemed as content as he could ever be.
Pushing their way into his place, he slammed the window shut; the little cat was already curled up in the corner. He went to go scratch her behind the ears as he always would-if the cat came, he'd never ignore her-and flipped the air on before tossing his raincoat off to the side and lighting a cigarette. He looked at her as she settled on the couch, tucking her legs underneath of her. He walked over to her, smoking at the cigarette as he scratched his arm; today he wore a red tank top that went rather nicely with his hair, she noticed. He tugged at his collar.
“I...missed having you around,” he said, looking off to the side.
She smiled up at him as he stood over the couch, in his telltale hunched over position which he would often adopt, usually out of being rather antisocial, though he seemed like he was just a touch awkward right now.
Standing, she walked over to him, tracing her fingers down his chest, before she placed them under his chin to turn his head toward her as she looked up at him. His eyes eventually met hers after a few moments.
She felt that tinge of sadness when she noticed the mix of anger and loneliness there. Likely toward himself and his situation, as was usual.
Gently beckoning his head down, she kissed him lightly on the mouth; he returned it, keeping it surprisingly light at first, which was different for him, before he deepened it more to his usual rougher kiss. Iori held her up, as her legs stay around his waist. She was enjoying this fierce burst he had, after his more melancholy mood when they first met.
Athena could feel him moving quickly, and she didn't mind. After everything, they seemed to both just want to reassure each other silently that things were still at the point they were before. His hand reached down as he held her there, sliding over her rear, rubbing it for a moment. He drew her lower lip into his mouth, his kisses growing far more intense.
He set her on the bed as he took his boots and shirt off, not bothering with his pants at the moment. Pushing her down as he continued to roughly kiss her-biting at her lower lip as he did so, he slid her shorts and underwear off rather quickly, not seemingly bothering with her shirt. She gasped when his hand went down between her legs to tease her a few moments; needless to say, she was already wet. He kept his fingers there, sliding them up, down and around; Athena moaned, squirming at his touch.
Breaking the almost violent kiss, Iori got a rather evil grin on his face. He lay down on the bed, starting to pull her waist up toward his head.
“Here,” he said, breathing heavily. He was clearly guiding her to sit on his face; he had wanted to try this now for awhile and they had never gotten around to it.
Athena giggled, shivering; she obliged him, curious to know how this would feel and almost surprised he went this fast, though she was very receptive. She quickly got her answer when she felt him position her and open his mouth; it gave him access that he didn't even get with the sixty-nine that they had done before.
Shivering and moaning loudly, she wondered if she would even be able to stay up as she felt his tongue begin to roughly stroke her. She had to place her hands against the wall that the bed was set up against, else she feared that she would end up falling over.
This felt incredibly good. Iori going down on her had always felt good, but this position was a new feeling and she could not stay quiet this time. Luckily, she knew that people in Iori's apartment were few and far between; the tenants were sparse and scattered.
She wasn't quite that loud, but she thought she was, given her brain wasn't all there at this moment.
Iori positioned his hands around her waist so he could lift her slightly up and down-to control just how much she was getting to add to the teasing. Rubbing his tongue hard against her for a few moments, he picked her up slightly to nip at her like he did the last time...which, given her squeals, still felt just as good. Swirling his tongue around, he started to work toward getting her off at least once with this.
Athena looked down a moment, seeing his eyes closed; she ran a hand through his hair as he started to use his teeth again, very lightly. She shivered again, and he raked the nails of one hand down her side a little more.
Having actively missed her-he realized it after a time that over these past couple of months he had often missed her when she was gone, but he was loathe to admit it to himself-he wanted to work to please her. He knew he wasn't going to be able to give her what she wanted totally, but he thought he could at least make sure she was kept happy in some ways, even if they were mostly physical.
Teasing her a little by holding her up, he swallowed some of her fluids and finally sucked at her clit to get her off; he knew by the way she was shaking and by her moans it wouldn't take her long now.
The way he was holding her up, she couldn't quite thrust herself against him, leaving everything up to his mercy; this, in a way, drove her a little more nuts. Her eyes closed and her head back, she trembled as she felt him nip at her, continuing on with everything until she came with a long, soft moan.
He set her down at that so he could drink her in, moaning low in his throat himself. He stayed a short while, teasing her a little more, until he felt her start to groan from the sensitivity. He set her on the bed after, sitting cross-legged next to her.
Athena stared at the ceiling, occasionally shivering. That had felt astoundingly good. She was as soaked as anything right now; as she looked over at Iori, he was licking his lips. She always giggled at this. He looked over at her as he would; his elbows were set on his knees as he sat there. She reached over to touch his shoulder.
“That was...” she laughed, blushing slightly.
He leaned over to kiss her stomach, raking his nails up her thighs. “Yeah,” he said, fairly quiet. He smiled at her, though; the small one he would get, as he found it sort of amusing she would still blush even after all they did. He reached down to undo his jeans; Athena noticed how he grit his teeth. He was extremely hard at the moment. He was afraid once again he would be fairly quick, though given he knew how to get her off rather hard with his mouth he wasn't too bothered anymore.
Taking a few moments to slide down, she gently teased the the head with her tongue; she planned on just giving him a few moments before sex.
Iori leaned back on the bed, a quiet moan coming from his throat as he exhaled heavily. She knew how to tease him well, and he loved it. He had to concentrate hard, though, to keep himself from going off too early, it felt so good. He slid his hand into her hair, rubbing the back of her head as he felt her sucking lightly at him, one of her hands rubbing his stomach.
After a few moments-she could taste quite a bit of the liquid on her tongue already-he fumbled a hand over to his nightstand as he pulled out a package; he smirked as she sat up, as now he wouldn't have to pull out of her.
Getting himself ready, he sat up slightly and pulled her on top of him, choosing to go on the bottom this time. She settled over onto him, leaning over to instigate a kiss; he returned it, a little slower than his normal ones, though it did eventually deepen into his usual rougher type.
Thrusting hard, he closed his eyes, gritting his teeth; he figured he'd be pretty fast with this, but her flush told him he had gotten her off more than adequately already.
He managed to hold back for a short bit, though; he was glad to enjoy the feeling for a little longer before he felt his orgasm build and finally spill over. Snarling, he through his head back, coming hard. For a split moment he was thankful again that he didn't have to pull out this time, as it felt damned nice to be able to finish off inside of her.
As he calmed, he looked up at her through his slightly sweaty hair. Despite the air being on, their endeavors left him rather worked up. His expression was somewhat...serene. Not completely, but serene enough. He reached a hand up, gently tracing a thumb over her mouth before leaning back as she slid off of him, sitting there on the bed next to him, her legs tucked behind her.
He sat up himself to clean up slightly, grabbing a cigarette off of the nightstand almost immediately after to light it. He looked over at her through his bangs, unable to hold back his little smile.
Athena laughed, pushing back some of his slightly sweaty hair. “You seem...calmer,” she said, clearly pleased.
He shrugged. “I feel like I am.” He didn't feel like he wanted to completely let his guard down-he probably never would-but he did feel a little calmer.
They sat in some moments of silence, though it felt natural. Very little felt 'forced' anymore, even if Iori remained extremely guarded.
Finishing his cigarette, he wanted a shower. He found he was able to wind down and collect his thoughts after a long one.
Standing, he turned to walk off...before turning back to run his big hand down the side of her face, touching her gently under the chin, as if to reassure her he was trying.
–
Athena had stayed most of the day. They hadn't said much; a bit of discussion, but that was it. Most of the time Athena had gone back to a few of the books that interested her, while Iori sat on his couch, his leg up on the table in front of him, smoking and watching the rain fall. The cat had curled up next to him, still fairly content in her new semi-home.
He looked over at her, debating fiddling with his bass for a while. “You have a show soon?” he asked.
“Sort of. In a couple of months. But Chin seems fairly content to be around here for some time. I think he likes visiting the other old masters,” she chuckled.
“How is your...friend going to take this if he found out?”
Athena rolled her eyes, though was smiling. “He's been my great friend for years. That's all he is. I think he'll accept it one day.”
“I...for your sake, I'd probably keep this...quiet,” he said. He knew how many people feared him, and he didn't want that to spill over to her. He thought for another moment. “I think Yuri had an idea...”
She giggled. “She's sharp. I can't say the same for Robert.”
Iori fiddled with the cup of red wine in front of him as he took another drag of his smoke. “Stay tonight if you want.” He thought for a moment. “I...still don't know what I need.”
“Take your time.” She kissed him lightly on the mouth, which he returned.
He smirked, looking back out the window. “Thanks.”
Over the weeks she had gotten to know him-more and more closely-she noticed a sort of...awkwardness that she didn't before. It was something that one had to be around him for awhile to really see. He was definitely one who was not the most socially acclimated, as usually he would just snarl people away from him.
But she understood why after this time; she understood, and she accepted it.
“You want to grab something?” he asked suddenly.
“Food?”
“Was thinking that. I'll drive.” He stuffed out his cigarette and threw on the rest of his clothes, topping it with the long, black coat she had grown accustomed to. She got dressed herself, fingering the necklace he had given her. She found herself doing that sort of absently from time to time.
He closed the door behind them and they made their way through the dim, musty hallway of his building, heading down the creaky stairs. Only a couple of lights managed to stay lit, though there was enough to see by.
Iori lit a cigarette, exhaling smoke; Athena then felt his large hand fumbling around hers to try to take it. Glancing up at him-a small, almost sad smile on her face, she turned her hand to take it, giving it a squeeze, finding his rougher grip comforting and the fact that despite his expression not changing, he made yet another attempt at reaching out to her as they walked through his building. He said nothing as his fingers interlocked with hers.
As he looked ahead, though, he smirked...and she caught it.
It was enough for her.
--
A/N:
Welp, that about closes this one out. I wanted to try to form a story on how I could picture these two working. I hope I was somewhat successful with it!
Getting their characterization down was important to me. I don't see Iori as a soft type...though I can maybe, given he has had feelings for people before, having them in his own way, even if he keeps himself distant. He definitely has feelings for Athena by the end of this.
I do plan on revisiting these two again for sure! Maybe I'll use this story as a cornerstone for a series of Iori/Athena South Town based KoF stories. I sort of like the run-down feel of South Town for an environment.
Anyway thanks for reading! Again, hope you enjoyed it. I appreciate all of you who read my stuff!
- 6
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Instinct and Empathy