Another day, another Xiaoyu pairing. I guess people are just really into shipping little Xiaoyu with big muscular guys lol.
This fluffy, sappy pile of mush is for a friend. You know who you are. Enjoy!
Tears fell like raindrops as Xiaoyu sat on the bench, sobbing profusely. Her ice cream cone, soaking wet with the byproduct of her sadness, was no longer appealing to her. With all her might she threw it onto the ground, cursing his name as she smashed it to pieces.
"But... but Jin! You promised you'd come with ME!"
"I know, I know! I'm sorry Xiao..."
"How could you do this to me...?"
"Sorry! It's just that, Nina's a hot blonde and a badass and you're... well..."
"What? I'm WHAT? Weak and petite?"
"W-well... sorry, Xiao. But Nina's got you beat. She's just... she's just better for me. I hope you find someone though."
"Aghhh! Why are all men such pigs!" Xiaoyu sobbed. "Just because Nina's better looking and a better fighter doesn't mean... AGHHHH! I HATE YOU JIN! IHATEYOUIHATEYOUIHATEYOU!"
Xiaoyu looked around and realized that she was causing quite a scene. But at that moment, she really didn't care. She couldn't care less about anything right now: Jin, boys, dating, the amusement park she was supposed to be having fun at... she didn't even care about the stupid delicious ice cream cone she just brutally murdered. Right now, she just wanted to go home. She had come here by herself with the delusion that she could have fun without a date, but she was finally seeing clearly; Jin has ruined her day at the amusement park, and nothing could fix it now.
"I guess I'll just go home now..."
Xiaoyu walked slowly to the entrance, a few sobs still making their way out of her throat. She could just imagine the fun Jin and Nina was having right now: they were probably eating cotton candy, making out in the photo booth, going through the Love Cavern... and here she was, a broken, rejected, pathetic mess of a human being.
Xiaoyu was so blinded by tears that she didn't even notice the huge man walking directly towards her. It was too late; she plowed into him and was sent to the ground as if she was hit by a medicine ball.
"Eeek!"
The man immediately knelt down and scooped her up, waving his hands frantically in apology.
"I'm so sorry! Are you okay, miss?"
Xiaoyu rubbed her puffy red eyes a few times and looked at the man in front of her. All she could see was his ripped torso, however... the man was huge! She had to look up to finally see his face. But when her eyes met his, she immediately knew something was wrong... he looked like a jaguar!
"AAAAAAH!"
The man reached out his hand to console Xiaoyu, but she backed away in terror.
"Wha...what the heck are you?!" she squealed.
"It's just a mask." the man replied gruffly. "I'm a luchador. It's for theatricality."
Xiaoyu stopped and regained her senses. She looked at the man's face again; it was completely still, almost like it was frozen. She reached over and felt his skin; it was like a soft, fuzzy fabric. Sure enough, it was just a scary looking mask.
"See? I'm not some half animal or something. It's just for show."
"Oh... sorry." Xiaoyu replied meekly. "Can... can I see your real face?"
"No. Sorry, but the mask doesn't come off for anyone. It was passed down by my mentor, King."
"Is he a luchador too?"
"He was...but not anymore. I wear the mask now. I'M King now."
"I see... well it was nice meeting you, King. Sorry for bumping into you and stuff."
Xiaoyu walked onward, her face still drooping with misery. As King watched her slink away, he couldn't help but wonder what the problem was.
"Excuse me, miss?"
Xiaoyu turned around, her eyes producing more tears already.
"What is it?"
"I was just wondering why you were so sad. Why are you crying?"
"It's...because...Jin...Jin...JIN TURNED ME DOWN! WAHHHHHHHH!"
Xiaoyu fell to her knees and started bawling, right there in front of everybody. King felt, to say the least, very awkward standing there with everyone watching. Did they think HE made her cry? He had to do something, and quick...
"Well... I'm not with anyone today. Why don't WE hang out?"
Xiaoyu looked up, wiping her eyes a few times. "R-r-really? You'll have fun with me?"
"Sure! Amusement parks are a lot more fun with two people. Cmon, just forget about Jin and hang out with me today."
Xiaoyu sobbed and sniffled a few times. "Oh... I dunno..."
"Cmooooon." King encouraged, lifting Xiaoyu back up to her feet. "What do you wanna do right now, more than anything? ANYTHING?"
Xiaoyu sniffled a few times and wiped her eyes. "W-well...I..could...use... an ice cream."
"Then let's go get you an ice cream."
"W-wait! Can we make it cotton candy instead?"
"Of course we can."
King put his arm on Xiaoyu's shoulder and the two of them made their way to the concession stand.
"Which one do you want?"
"I dunno...just pick one..." Xiaoyu mumbled, still down in the dumps. But King wasn't having any of that. He wanted Xiaoyu to be happy, and he wanted it now.
"CMON. Which one do you want?" he encouraged, giving her a nudge.
"Hmph..."
"I know you cant resist."
"Mmmalright... gimme that one."
King bought the largest cotton candy there was and gave it to Xiaoyu. It was huge, and had three different colors swirled around in it.
"Th-thanks King..." Xiaoyu said with a bow. "Um... do you mind if I eat it on the wheel?"
"Sure. Hold on."
Xiaoyu gasped when King suddenly scooped her up and propped her on his shoulder.
"Wooow! I wasn't expecting that. You are really strong, King!"
"Heh, well I work at it. Now hang on, and don't lean backwards."
"Just don't drop me!"
"I won't drop you."
Xiaoyu couldn't stop giggling as King carried her on his shoulder. Only a few minutes had passed, but Xiaoyu was already feeling better. There was something about King that just made her really happy. It's almost as if he had an aura of kindness radiating from him that could bring a smile to even the most depressed face.
"So who is Jin?" King asked. He was trying to make conversation, but he suddenly realized a second too late that MAYBE that wasn't a good subject to bring up. He was already slapping himself mentally as he prepared for the possibility of more tears.
"Ah, he's a classmate of mine. He's really dreamy and I kinda like him, but... he doesn't feel the same way. He likes "Ms. Blonde Perfect Tits" Nina Williams instead. She's older, prettier, a better fighter... she's just better than me."
To King's surprise, there were no more tears. Perhaps Xiaoyu had cried until her eyes were dry. Perhaps she was finally accepting things for how they are. Or perhaps... King was helping her move on.
Deciding that it was a good idea to drop the subject, King instead turned his attention to the wheel.
"Look, we're here."
King put down Xiaoyu and helped her inside the pod. King got inside as well and closed the door. It was quite a fancy pod; it had two seats, a roof and windows to prevent accidents, and it provided quite a nice outside view.
Xiaoyu started to eat her cotton candy and King just sat there with his arms folded, enjoying the view. Xiaoyu stopped eating and looked at King with a smile; she had a strange idea.
"Hey King."
King turned his head and looked at her. "Yes?"
"Would you...ummm...would you feed my cotton candy to me?"
She couldn't see King's face, but he had quite a surprised look. Nonetheless, he shrugged and accepted the cotton candy.
"Say ahh."
"Ahhhh..."
Xiaoyu opened her mouth wide and King brought the cotton candy close to her mouth. She took a big bite, so big that cotton candy was hanging out of her mouth. She giggled a few times as she swallowed it all.
"Um, y-you have a little..."
King leaned over and brushed a piece of cotton candy off of her lip, causing Xiaoyu to blush slightly.
"Thank you, Kingy."
"K-kingy?"
"Yeah! It's cute, isn't it?"
"W-well, my name is supposed to be intimidating, not cute."
"Aww, but you're not intimidating to me."
"Well you haven't seen me in the ring then. Say, what is YOUR name?"
"It's Ling Xiaoyu! You can call me Xiaoyu. Or Xiao."
"Xiao, huh? Well your name is a lot cuter than mine."
"You're so sweet! Gimme some more cotton candy."
King tilted the stick towards Xiaoyu and she bit more off, giggling while she ate.
"This is fun." Xiaoyu said, a wide smile on her face.
"I'm glad you're feeling better. See, you don't even need Jin."
Oh shit! King said his name again! King was once again mentally slapping himself as he saw the smile fade from Xiaoyu's face. He had to think of something to cheer her up...something!
"Well, I think Jin was crazy to pick another girl over you."
Xiaoyu perked back up a little. "Really? You really think so?"
"Of course. I think you're cute, sweet, and very fun. I bet this Nina is a wet blanket compared to you."
Xiaoyu was smiling brightly again. There was more than a smile on her face, however; there was also a rush of redness.
"Well...between you and me..." she whispered, leaning in close. "Nina is a real hardass. She's always so serious, never smiling or anything! I mean, who wants to hang out with someone who never smiles?!"
"Hahaha... I agree completely."
The two of them sat there for a second chuckling, before the room fell silent. Xiaoyu shot a few glances at King, her fingers dancing nervously. Slowly but surely, she worked up the courage to make the next move.
"K-King?"
"Hmm?"
"Can I sit over there with you? I... I wanna hold your hand."
King was getting really hot; his mask was starting to feel more like a microwave oven. This was a big step forward, but the more he thought about it...the more if felt right. He had only been with Xiaoyu for a short time, but she was a girl that he wanted to make happy. Seeing her smile, her giggles... seeing the joy in her eyes brought a warm, happy feeling to his insides.
"Of course you can."
Xiaoyu eagerly moved to King's side of the pod and plopped next to him. Their hands interlaced, and Xiaoyu leaned her head against his arm.
"H-hey! You can't see the view like that. My huge arm is blocking your vision."
"Eh...I'd rather do this anyway." Xiaoyu said with a grin.
The two of them sat like that for a few minutes, holding hands and just enjoying the serenity and solitude of the wheel.
After the wheel, the two of them wandered around for a while and pondered what to do next. There were rides, funhouses, concession stands... but King decided the gentleman thing to do was to let Xiaoyu decide. As long as she stayed happy, he was down for whatever.
"Hey King, I heard this park has a kick butt arcade. Wanna go?"
"Arcade? But don't you wanna go on some rides?"
"Eh, maybe later. I just ate cotton candy. Let's go play some games!"
King and Xiaoyu walked through the park, hands held tight. King could tell Xiaoyu was having a lot of fun, and it was making him have fun as well. This was a nice change from all the misery and tears that had initially been shed. King couldn't help but feel proud of himself for bringing the smile back to Xiaoyu's face.
The two of them walked into the built in arcade. There were plenty of games to choose from, some with the classic buttons and joysticks, but many others that were a lot more interactive. There was even a prize counter where tickets could be redeemed.
"Hey, look!" Xiaoyu pointed. "It's the Tekken 3 video game!"
"Really? Wow, the King of Iron Fist Tournament 3 isn't even for another week."
Xiaoyu ran excitedly to the vacant arcade machine, dragging King behind her.
"Cmon! Let's play iiiiit!"
King dug into his pocket and pulled out four quarters. He inserted two into each of the slots and they both pressed start.
"Wow, look! I'm on the roster!" Xiaoyu squealed.
"Hey, I am too." King pointed out. "Strange, I haven't even finished the paperwork..."
"You pick you and I'll pick me! Deal?"
"Yeah, sure. You're on!"
So the two of them started going at it, King vs Xiaoyu. Neither of them really knew what they were doing, but they still knew the basics like movement and combos. Xiaoyu managed to duck under King's lariats and high palms and deliver devastating low blows. She chipped away King's life bar until he was knocked out.
"YAY! I wiiin!" Xiaoyu cheered.
"Oh, not yet you don't." King retorted.
The second round started and King got Xiaoyu in a grapple. He had no idea how he actually did that, but he continued to frantically mash buttons. Somehow, he managed to chain throw Xiaoyu until her life was at zero.
"PERFECT!"
"Awww. you cheated!" Xiaoyu whined.
"How can I cheat when I don't even know what I did?"
The last round started and the fight was much more even. King delivered low kicks, followed by a spinning chop. Xiaoyu swept his foot and delivered a palm to his stomach. Before long, they were both sitting on once inch of life. The two of them had an intense staredown; it all came down to this one move.
"This..."
"Is..."
"IIIIIIIIIIT!"
The two of them collided and each delivered a simultaneous strike.
"DOUBLE KO!"
The two of them stared in disbelief at the screen, their mouths wide open. King's mouth couldn't be seen, but it was definitely wide open.
"Did that...really just happen?" King asked.
"Yeah... guess it did, hee hee..." Xiaoyu giggled.
The two of them just shrugged and walked away. As soon as Xiaoyu turned around, she caught a glimpse of the prize counter; her eyes widened when she saw what was on full display.
"Oh...my... GOOOSH!"
Xiaoyu ran over to the prize counter and grabbed a huge, fluffy stuffed panda with little bracelets on her and a stylish purse. The purse contained even more cute accessories to put on her, such as a hairbow.
"WOW! It looks just like my Panda! Aww, these little bracelets are SOOO CUUUUTE!"
"H-hey, give that back!" the clerk shouted, swiping the adorable stuffed animal. "That's 200 tickets!"
Xiaoyu's face turned to a frown. "Aww man... that's insane..."
King put a hand on Xiaoyu to console her. "Well... there's still plenty of rides."
Suddenly, King spotted something out of the corner of his eye: it was a machine with a huge muscular arm sticking out of it. Painted on the machine was a man with a huge pillar of blonde hair.
"What's this...?"
King walked over to the game and examined it closer.
PAUL PHOENIX'S ARM WRESTLING: TAKE ON THE TOUGHEST IN THE UNIVERSE!
"Paul Phoenix... I've heard of this guy. He's the strongest man on the planet." King muttered. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out two quarter's and put them inside.
"I'M NUMBER ONE!" the machine yelled.
King grabbed the arm and waited in anticipation for the match to start.
"Three...two...one...OSU!"
King grunted as the intense strength of the mechanical arm shoved his arm backwards. It took every ounce of his muscle to keep his arm from getting pinned.
"Dammit! Is this Paul's REAL arm?!"
King took quick, short breaths as he concentrated on keeping his arm elevated. He was straining so hard he couldn't even open his eyes.
"Must...win...tickets! Must...make...Xiao...HAPPY!"
With a jaguar growl, King tapped into unknown power and started turning Paul's arm the other way. With a final burst of strength, he managed to bend it all the way back.
"UWAAAAAAAAGH!" the machine yelled. It sounded exactly like Paul's death cry from the Tekken video game.
King was so ecstatic that he accidentally exerted a little TOO much strength. A loud SNAP! resonated through the arcade, and the arm started sizzling. King looked down; the wires were sticking out.
"Oh shit... I broke it..."
Tickets started spewing out of the machine nonstop like a soda dispenser with the button held down. 10,20,50... the tickets were never ending!
"Oh shit oh shit oh shiiiiit..." King muttered. Looking both ways suspiciously, he stuffed as many tickets as he could down his pockets and escaped the scene of the crime.
"Xiao! Hey...Xiao...!"
Xiaoyu looked over at King, who had tickets spilling out of his pockets.
"King?! Where did you get those?!"
"Don't worry about it! Just...just get that stuffed panda you wanted."
Xiaoyu's smile spread across her face so wide that she couldn't close her mouth.
"Kingy...you got those for MEEEE?!"
Xiaoyu leaped into King's arms and threw her arms around his neck. She pressed her face against his and nuzzled his cheek.
"Thank you! THANK YOUUUU!"
"Okay, okay! Just... just take these already. I'm gonna go wait outside...FAR away from the arcade."
King waited outside, his hand on his chest as he breathed heavily. He was certain that he was about to be banned from this amusement park! He calmed down a little, however, when he saw Xiaoyu walking out of the arcade with the stuffed panda tight in her arms. As long as she was happy, that's all he cared about.
"It's so cute... thank you, King."
"You're welcome...but I suggest we stay out of that arcade for a long time."
"Why?"
"Just trust me. Hey, wanna go on a ride now?"
"Sure!"
They spent the next few hours riding every single ride at least twice. No matter what the ride or how treacherous, the two of them stayed by each others' side with their hands held tight. They were having so much fun, they didn't even realize the sun was going down.
By the time they finished the sun had set, engulfing the sky in a beautiful orange hue. The two of them made their way out of the park, still holding each others' hand. Xiaoyu had her stuffed panda tucked under her arm.
"King?"
"Yeah?"
"This was the most fun day of my life. Thank you."
"Oh, uh... no problem. I was happy to do it."
"I just wanted to ask you...AH! Look over there...!"
King turned and looked at where Xiaoyu was pointing: it was two people, a black haired man and a blonde woman.
"Jin...and Nina..." Xiaoyu mumbled, the frown back on her face.
King looked upon the unnoticing Jin with eyes full of fury. Suddenly the memories of earlier came flooding back: Xiaoyu's tears, her face of absolute misery as she spoke his name. Suddenly, Kinf felt very angry. A fire was welling up inside his body that would soon erupt into a raging inferno. What right did that bastard have to make a sweet, beautiful girl like Xiao cry?!
"Xiao... wait right here." King ordered. He started towards Jin, but Xiaoyu grabbed him.
"W-wait! What are you gonna do?"
"I'm gonna pile drive him."
"NOOO NO NO NO! Stop! Please, King STOOP!"
King stopped, turning back around and facing Xiaoyu.
"B-but, he made you cry! He dumped you for that blonde bimbo!"
"I know, but I don't care anymore. Yes I was angry and miserable and depressed, but then I met you and we've had fun all day! That's all I care about now. I realize now that I don't need Jin to be happy."
King was impressed to hear that, to say the least. Suddenly, Xiaoyu seemed a lot more mature than he had initially thought. He was starting to rethink his image of her.
Jin and Nina exited the park, never even spotting them.
"Wow, Xiao...that was very cool of you. But, are you sure you don't want me to thrash him? I could put him in a trash can."
"No no...it's fine. They're happy with each other, I guess. But...you would really do that for me?"
"If it made you happy."
Xiaoyu smiled and turned to King. She put her arms around him and stood up on her tip toes.
"Could you lean down a little?" she asked.
King knelt slightly until his face was level with hers. With a smile, Xiaoyu planted a kiss on his mask, right where his mouth would be.
"You're the sweetest person I've ever met, King. Thank you for everything."
The two of them stood there for a few seconds in silence. Both of them knew that there were no more words needed to be said. It was time for them to part ways, and they both knew it. It was a sad moment for both of them on this day that they wished would never end. But at the same time, the same tingling feeling of love and joy still reverberated inside them. It was a feeling that wouldn't go away for a long time.
Xiaoyu waved and walked off, her panda still under her arm. King waited for a moment, watching her walk away. Even though it couldn't be seen, he was wearing a smile that couldn't be removed if he wanted it to.
As soon as Xiaoyu was out of sight, King put his hands in his pockets and walked out of the park. He was feeling good about himself for what he did. The reward of being a nice guy was often rich... and right now he felt like the wealthiest man in the world.
THE END
