After my match against Craig Marduk at the fifth King of The Iron Fist tournament was in the books, I withdrew from it. Really, there wasn't anything else for me in the tournament. The prize money I won was more than enough for the orphanage back home and things between Craig and I ended on a peaceful note. The only thing stopping me from just leaving Japan altogether was the fact that I was, at the very least, curious to see how the tournament would end up.
So, late next morning, I awoke from bed, not even the least bit surprised by the aches and soreness that I felt from my time in the tournament. What also wasn't a surprise was the hunger I felt. Sighing, I sat up and reached up for my mask and removed it. I then stood up and stretched before I slightly limped towards the bathroom.
After showering and brushing my teeth, I hit the streets, looking for the nearest burger place. It took me some time because there were quite a few people stopping me for pictures and autographs. As a wrestler, I was used to it, so I wasn't the least bit reluctant – especially when the children asked. Eventually, I ended up at an MOS Burger joint. After ordering four MOS Rice Burgers, I took my seat at a booth and began to eat in silence.
As I ate, I thought about my time in the tournament. Normally, I wouldn't feel too bad about beating my opponents in Tekken. Fact of the matter is, the Tekken tournament always brought out some of the best – and most bizarre – fighters in the world. All of them can take as much as they could dish out. However, my fight with Julia, though, did make me feel remorseful.
She wanted me to forfeit. Not because she wanted an easy pass to the next round, but because she was afraid of where my quest for vengeance was going to take me. Julia was the only person I told about the time I came close to murdering Craig while he was in the hospital. She knew how close I was to having blood on my hands, and she wanted to make sure that didn't happen. So she fought me – she fought me harder than she has ever done before. I fought back with just as harder. At the end of it all, it was her that had to be carried off.
"WATCH OUT MARDUK! I'M COMING FOR YOU!"
I remember when I yelled those words out. I didn't do it just because I wanted to end things between him and I once and for all. I also blamed him for the fight that I had with Julia. I blamed him for that fact that I was willing to go through one of the closest people just to get to him. Deep down inside, though, I knew that last part was on me.
So, as I looked out the window, mask lifted just enough to chew my food, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt in my chest. Sighing to myself, I looked down at the burger morosely as I swallowed.
"I'm sorry, Julia," I said out loud to on one in particular.
"I forgave you days ago, King," I heard a voice said. My eyes widened as I brought my head up, seeing Julia take a seat in front of me with her own tray. My mouth went ajar as she smiled at me. I studied her face, noting a minute bit of bruising around her left eye and a bandage on her right cheek. As per usual, her hair was in a braid with a feather hanging from it. "I was hungry. So I was out and saw a jaguar in the window and thought to myself, 'Ya know, King would love it here'." She chuckled at her own joke before she looked down at my tray and scoffed. "I sincerely hope that's your usual intake and you're not stress-eating."
"…It's actually pretty light, considering that it's my first meal of the day," I said slowly once I found my tongue. "Listen, Julia…"
"King, I promise you, if you apologize again, you'll be wearing all of your burgers," Julia interjected. She then tilted her head. "Look, I was just worried that you were going to kill Marduk. You didn't, so I'm happy. Well, as happy as one could be after being eliminated the tournament – especially after losing the to someone who withdrew soon after." She winked at me, showing that she wasn't as cross about it as she seemed at first. "Seriously, King. I'm proud of you for taking the high road. The world needs more people like you." She grabbed hold of her burger and lifted it up to her mouth before she took a bite out of it.
"It wasn't my place to continue fighting," I said. "I did what I came to accomplish. The prize money is bonus enough, considering where a lot of it is going." I sighed. "Look Julia, I…" I trailed off as he reached out with one of her hands and grabbed the edge of my tray. I quickly dropped my burger and held my hands up. "I'm not apologizing!" She raised her eyebrow. "I was just going to say… Look, I know, at times, I wasn't the easiest person to deal with during the whole Craig Marduk situation. Some people would have just distanced themselves if they were in your position. So… I just want to say thank you for looking out for me, even if I was acting hardheaded towards you." She kept her eyes one me for a bit as she continued to chew her food.
"You know, one could see that as a roundabout way of apologizing," she said. I braced myself for a tray flip. However, she withdrew her hand. "I tell you what, since you say you owe me one, how about we just skip the fights tonight, and instead just somewhere nice. It'd be just the two of us."
"What do you have in mind?" I asked.
"There are a few arboretums I wanted to see," she said. "That is, if you're not too macho for that sort of thing." At that, I scoffed.
"I enjoy the peacefulness of nature as much as the next person," I said. "It's a date." I lifted up my burger, then paused, realizing what I just said. I looked at Julia, who gave me a coy smile.
"If that's the case, then we'll have quite the evening ahead of us," she replied in an ambiguous tone. She then continued to eat her burger. I eyed her, not sure if she was being sarcastic or sincere. After some seconds, I went back to eating my food, deciding to see where the day took us.