Telltale Eyes

Yugao

Summary: Xiaoyu and Jin are a beautiful couple. He and Julia are best friends. Can you even consider saying no to a face you've come to love?

Author's Note: Well… since I scrapped all those fics I wrote before, there's no other option in a comeback than to start from scratch. So this oneshot, Telltale Eyes, is set in Jin's point of view. Please tell me what you think of it. Flames, constructive criticism and fangirl gushes are quite welcome. (While I was writing this chapter, I was listening to Crazy for You… an old fave!) EDIT: this is now a oneshot.

Disclaimer: I don't own Tekken, Namco does.

"Jin, don't fall asleep on me."

I felt a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth, but I didn't open my eyes. Sleepily I continued to lay down on Julia's lap, tired after a long day of school. This was a tradition of ours – studying for a few hours everyday under the oak tree not far from Mishima High, especially when the sky was cloudless.

I heard her sigh exasperatedly. "Jin… you do remember we still have Physics homework to do, right?"

"Can we not talk about Physics right now, Jules? I'm sleepy," I murmured.

"You have a date with Xiao tonight," she pointed out, "And you have to finish all your homework before then if you don't want Mr. Sakamoto to send you to detention again."

I sat up and leaned against the tree, glaring at her jokingly. "Killjoy," I muttered, before picking up my Physics book and opening it to the page of that day's homework. She smirked, handing me my pen and a sheet of ruled paper. Thermodynamics and other seemingly Greek theories flooded the book, and I turned to Julia. She was staring at me expectantly, with a small, almost indiscernible smile on her face.

"Help me?" the two words she so wanted to hear.

She grinned, and pointed out the notes on the page, coupling it with an explanation. I stared at her a little, almost in awe, wondering how she knew all these things.

The Ferris wheel stopped as the seat Xiaoyu and I shared reached the top. She drew in a deep breath and her eyes lit up with ecstasy. "Oh, Jin…" she said, breathless, "The view from here is beautiful!"

I looked where she did, and nodded. The sky was dark, making the city lights look like sparkles in the shadows. The sky was dotted with almost imperceptible stars, a rarity in downtown Tokyo. "It is," I said quietly.

"This is so romantic!" she said excitedly, turning to me with those big, beautiful brown eyes of hers, and added, "Thank you so much for bringing me here. You know how much I love amusement parks. You're so thoughtful."

She lay her head on my shoulder, and we remained quiet. I realized that this must have been all the more special.

On our other dates, we talked. Or rather, she talked, and I listened. She loved it when I did that, stayed quiet while she poured her heart out to me. If I kept quiet with Julia, she would've wondered what had gotten into me, I mused as the Ferris wheel slowed ever so slightly.

I looked down at the girl in my arms, and a smile crept onto my face. Her black hair was done in pigtails, tied with bright, almost fluorescent pink elastics, and her pale face was flushed in the carnival lights. She wore a pink sundress, while I wore a pair of jeans, a black shirt and a jacket – even in appearance we were a classic tale of opposites attract.

She looked up at me, a grin on her face. "A penny for your thoughts," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I think you're beautiful," I answered in the same voice.

She smiled at that, and we were silent for the rest of the ride.

The Ferris wheel came to a stop, and we got off. Xiaoyu shivered a little, but said nothing. I felt it, though, and took off my jacket and laid it over her shoulders. "Thanks," she said liltingly. Her features brightened. "Want some cotton candy?"

She didn't give me a chance to answer, because she took my hand and dragged me to the stall. She bought a strawberry for herself, and a raspberry for me, proud that she had given me something in return for the marvelous night. She handed me the puffy candy and grinned as she took a big bite out of hers.

I smiled a little, but didn't follow suit.

I hate cotton candy.

But I love Xiao, so I won't tell her that.

Reluctantly, I took a bite out of it, and forced myself not to cringe at the overdose of sugar one mouthful had given me. Deciding that it wouldn't be so good for my health, I took little bites just to satisfy Xiaoyu, who was already halfway done. I shook my head disbelievingly. How does she do these things? I asked myself.

"Look, Jin!" she said ecstatically, pointing. "A photo booth! Let's have our picture taken!"

Another thing I hated.

Pictures.

But I won't tell her that, either.

We were cramped in the tiny booth, but were able to have seven pictures taken, and by the end of the night we decided which would go to whom. "I want this one, where your eyes are actually open," she said euphorically. "You have got to stop closing your eyes when you have your picture taken, Jin!"

"I'll try, next time," I said softly.

She was satisfied at that, and we got into my car. It was already ten o' clock, and I had promised her grandfather I'd drive her home by then. Soon we reached their house, and I walked her to the door.

She stood on the porch, pretty in the moonlight. "Goodnight, Jin. Thanks again," she whispered.

"Goodnight, Xiao." I said, and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

Julia tapped her pen on her desk, and I watched her. From the window beside her seat, sunlight spilled into the room, and illuminated her features. She was pretty, I had to admit – her long, dark brown hair was done in a pair of braids, and her red-rimmed glasses sat on her nose. Her eyes, honey-colored in the light, bore the spark of intelligence.

She caught my gaze and smiled, a little embarrassedly because of my stare. "What?" she asked lightly, a smile in both her eyes and lips.

"Nothing. I was just thinking about my date with Xiao last night," he lied, then cursed himself for it. Not the right thing to say, he told himself.

If she thought the same, she didn't say so. "Oh, right. I was wondering what was going on at the amusement park last night. So, what happened?"

I was a bit surprised to hear that she wanted to know. Other girls would have hit him over the head with an encyclopedia if he was lucky. If not… something heavier than that.

She listened as I narrated all of last night to her, asking me to pause for a moment to ask a question or to take down notes on Mr. Sakamoto's lesson. If she was the least bit irritated, she was doing a wonderful job of covering it up. Her smile seemed so genuine, so sincere.

I slapped myself mentally. What, you expect her to be jealous? A little voice in my head screamed. She's Julia Chang, remember, your best pal? Seriously, Jin, sometimes even I don't know what's wrong with you!

"And then?" Julia's voice brought me out of my inner debate. She looked at me curiously, almost earnestly.

"And then… I brought her home and kissed her goodnight," I blurted out, "That's all."

She nodded, and smiled. "You must have had the time of your life…" she murmured.

"Impressive, Mr. Kazama. I trust you've been getting help in Physics? Your grades are definitely getting better," Mr. Sakamoto told me.

I smirked. The old man didn't think I had the capability of pulling up my Physics grade by myself, which would have been an insult if it wasn't true. Julia's coaching had really helped, but I wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of knowing that.

"No, sir. I've just been studying harder, that's all," from the corner of my eye I saw Julia freeze a little at that. She had been waiting for me, and she had overheard.

"I find that hard to believe," Mr. Sakamoto said with a smile, "However, I trust you enough to take your word for it, Mr. Kazama. Keep up the good work."

I thanked him and walked out the door, to where Julia was waiting for me. I knew I had crossed one too many lines there, and I expected her to hit me hard. Instead, she just smiled, poked me in the ribs, and said, "Liar."

Xiaoyu put her tray on the table and slid next to me. It was lunchtime, and the two of us usually had a table all to ourselves. Still, she liked sitting next to me.

"I still think the teachers were being party poopers when they split us up into different classes," she announced. "Are you sure you're okay in your section, Jin?"

In truth, we weren't really split up unfairly. The students were separated into three – the below average in class C, the average in class B, and the star section in class A. I was in class A with Julia, but only barely. My grandfather the principal had told me that I was already in the latter half of the class, and if I wanted to stay I had to keep my grades up.

Still, I knew my grandfather wouldn't have the heart to do that.

"Yeah," I answered nonchalantly. Wanting to change the subject, I said, "Friday tonight, Xiao. Want to go somewhere?"

She shook her head. "No thanks, Jin. My grandfather's friends are staying over tonight, and I have to stay at home."

"Ouch," I muttered. Busted over some old geezers, I thought.

She smiled. "Don't worry, Jin. I'll make it up to you tomorrow."

I love it when she smiles.

"Siegfried wins!" the announcer boomed.

I laughed triumphantly as I put down the PS2 controller and grinned proudly at Julia. She sighed, a wry look on her face. "So you won again," she said as she leaned back against the foot of my bed. After Xiao turned me down, I asked Julia if she wanted to spend the afternoon at my place, and all the while I was trying to push the word "rebounding" away from my mind.

I turned it off, wanting to quit while I was one battle up over Julia's score. She looked unassuming, but she was so good at handling Seong Mi-na that it was almost scary. I have the bragging rights as long as I keep winning, I thought with a laugh. But with Julia, everything was unexpected.

She stood, and walked over to the bookshelf in the corner. It wasn't her first time in my room, let alone in the house. Even Grandpa knew her by name. "So," she asked, trying to fill in the silence, "What did Xiao say?"

"What do you mean, what did Xiao say?" I asked, a little puzzled. I didn't remember telling her Xiao turned me down a while ago…

Julia casually sat down on the leather chair beside the bookcase with a copy of The Art of War. "You know, why can't she go out with you tonight? We both know you asked her to go out with you."

"Is it that obvious?" I asked with a smirk.

She smiled a little, not answering my question directly. "Sometimes, Jin, mystery can be a good thing."

Author's Note: Darn. Sorry if Jin seemed out of character, especially around Julia. I just wanted to emphasize that he can't open up to other people like he does with her. Please review.