A/N: Hey, peoples! This is Sockey, here to explain about my PG-13 to anyone who wants to know. There is nothing explicitly bad about my story, and I could prolly have gotten away with a PG rating if I had really wanted to. However, I, brilliant genius I am, have used the PG-13 rating to attract more readers. See, most people seem to be more likely to read a story with a higher rating (sadly enough) because stories with lower ratings tend to be fluffy and boring. So what earned this story a PG-13 rating? Mostly language. Some of my characters swear a lot, but I have sensored all swear words. I don't really like it, but it makes the story way more realistic (no one is gonna convince me that Hwoarang doesn't swear . . .). There is also quite a bit SENSUALITY in it, but remember that this is a romance. There is no blatant sexuality in my stories so no worries!

Disclaimer: Grrr . . . You know, when I become supreme ruler of the world, I won't have to write these stupid things . . . but, for now, Tekken belong to Namco. Oh, MAN! Do I have to put the song in the disclaimer??? That SUCKS. It's not like there's anyone who DOESN'T know it anyway . . . I shamelessly quote "Yesterday" by the Beatles.

STORYTIME!!!

Not Afraid of Anything

by Sockey

Hwoarang watched the water as the boat steadily swayed back and forth. Many of the passengers retreated to the lower deck, but he stayed topside lounging on top of the giant, disorderly pile of suitcases, duffle bags, and backpacks. After a while, Hwoarang suddenly realized that he was bored. Therefore, he set out to dig his backpack out from the pile of luggage.

Following an extensive search through the heap, Hwoarang located his pack at the very bottom of the whole pile. He dislodged many bags and suitcases in his quest and was finally able to hoist his backpack up into the dying light of day. Ha, I have defeated the heap! he thought with a minor sense of triumph. He unzipped the backpack and pulled out his portable CD player. Patiently, he untagled the cords and wrapped the headphones around his head. After he had turned the CD player on, he quickly switched it over to track thirteen.

Yesterday,

All my troubles seemed so far away,

Now it looks as though they're here to stay,

Oh, I believe in yesterday

Only then did Hwoarang realize that this was the very album that Julia had bought for him nearly two years earlier just minutes before he had kissed her for the very first time. He found himself chuckling without humor at the ridiculous irony of it all. Momentary feelings of rage and helplessness overcame him, and he wanted to rip the CD out of the small player and toss it into the ocean. Yet . . . he didn't.

Suddenly,

I'm not half the man I used to be,

There's a shadow hanging over me,

Oh, yesterday came suddenly

As Hwoarang allowed the song to play out, he looked out on the city that he was moving farther away from every moment. Tokyo: home to the girl of his dreams.

Why she had to go,

I don't know,

She wouldn't say,

I said something wrong,

Now I long for yesterday

He hadn't been trying to think about it, hadn't wanted to. He had wanted to forget his problems for once, but somehow, they all came crashing down on him. The fact that Baek was gone . . . the fact that he hadn't been the one to exact revenge on the Toshin . . . the fact that Jin Kazama had escaped . . . the fact that he had helped him escape . . . the fact that he was, in fact, not perfect . . . the fact that he was human . . .the fact he had pushed Julia away . . . the fact that it had worked . . . the fact that she had kept so much of herself out of his reach . . . the fact he hadn't been able to reach her . . . the fact that he had realized that he loved her too late . . .

Yesterday,

Love was such an easy game to play,

Now I need a place to hide away,

Oh, I believe in yesterday

Hwoarang's thoughts lazily drifted over to Julia. Her image was clearly cemented in his mind. He could see her eyes, crackling with dry, laconic wit, the way her silky brown hair carelessly fell over her shoulders. She had always been so d--- sexy without even trying. He could remember so many times when she had talked endlessly for hours without really saying anything . . . and times when she had said things without speaking a single word. He could still feel the way she would ever-so-casually slip her hand into his . . .

This is Sockey reminding you to please review! :-D