Duty
A Tekken 4 one-shot
Kazama Jin and Ling Xiaoyu
Note: I live!! Haha, okay, in all honesty, I've missed this fandom. I was reading over my old Tekken stories, and I couldn't help but realize something: I like this pair a lot, and I was kind of angry with myself for not contributing more. So, while I should have been studying for an exam, I ended up writing this little thing. Completely independent from my other Tekken fics... maybe. Hope you all enjoy it.
Jin sat up from the bench press and wiped his brow with his wristband. The bench squeaked loudly beneath him, echoing through the empty weight room.
He preferred working out in the morning; it was always a habit. He was like that is his youth, when his mother would pull him out of bed to practice his forms on the front porch. Even in Brisbane, he would wake up at dawn to practice.
The weight room at the arena had some new state of the art equipment he had never seen before. Granted, it was all bought by Mishima money, a fact that left a sour taste in his throat, but nevertheless, he allowed himself to indulge in its availability.
The door slowly opened and in stepped a statuesque brown bear with a red scarf tied around his neck. He saw Jin and immediately ran up to him, scooping the human in a hug. Jin gasped for air as the bear swung him in his arms, delighted to see the familiar face. It grunted a few things before depositing Jin to the floor.
"It's nice to see you too, Kuma," Jin took a few deep breaths, replenishing his oxygen. "How are you doing?"
Kuma spoke enthusicastically while growling something.
"I see. And… you're still chasing Panda, of course."
Kuma began to explain something while lifting his arms left and right, flexing and posing, as if he were a famous bodybuilder.
At this, Jin furrowed his brows. "You shouldn't lie about that. Just the other day, I saw you thrown in a flower bed."
Kuma sighed, dropping his shoulders.
"It's alright… you'll have your chance… maybe…" Jin did not want to put the bear's hopes up too high.
Kuma pointed at Jin.
"Me? Oh… I'm fine. Just training every day since I got here."
Kuma snarled.
"Have I talked to…?" Jin stopped when he heard her name. "…No, I haven't spoken with her. I don't see why--." He was interrupted by Kuma. "Yeah, I sent her that email but that doesn't mean anything."
As they continued to discuss the topic at hand, Kuma sat on the padded floor with his feet in front of him. He leaned forward and reached for his toes, stretching his leg and back muscles.
"Well, we were friends when we were younger," Jin explained as he sat back down on the end of the bench press. "I'm just looking out for her."
Kuma questioned him as he reached his arm behind his head, extending his triceps.
"I would have liked it if she returned to China and had her life there. Instead, she's in the tournament, near all this… bad blood." Jin paused as he loosened the tape around his wrists and hands, letting the skin breathe. "I guess… I was trying to protect her."
Jin looked up as Kuma explained something to him; the animal moved his hands back and forth as if elaborating an idea between Jin and the person in question. "I--," Jin swallowed the lump in his throat. "That was a long time ago, when we were young and the third tournament hadn't started. It was… It was her, mostly. She made it easy not to worry.
"When we would spar," Jin explained when Kuma asked for clarification, "I noticed something. For a while, during that time, I forgot why I had to fight, all that anger, the bad memories… I forgot it all… I don't know if that's a good thing." Jin stood from where he sat and slowly made his way to the wall of mirrors that stood before him. He found himself staring at his reflection, right into his dark eyes. He held back a flinch. He always hated the sight of himself; he always feared he would see black markings on his face, a set of horns growing from his head or red irises staring back at him. "But I couldn't afford to forget anything," he continued. "I had a duty I had to fulfill," he explained to Kuma as he turned to face the bear. "But her… she was so carefree," Jin leaned back against the mirror. "I mean, she wanted to build an amusement park with the prize money," he said with a touch of mockery. He closed his eyes for a moment and then reopened them, looking upward as he focused on a vent embedded in the white ceiling. "Someone like her should stay away from this kind of evil," he said after he paused.
Kuma responded.
"That includes me, Kuma."
Kuma sat up from his stretching and shook his head at the human, displeased.
"Look, I just want her happy," Jin crossed his arms. "I don't see why you're reading into this."
Kuma sighed as he spoke to his old friend. His growls were filled with a tint of frustration Jin easily read.
"You want to protect Panda? No offense, but if anything, she would need protection from you. What does this have to do with--?"
Kuma pointed at Jin.
"You mean, just like how I want to pro--," Jin muttered what the bear told him, but then cut his own words short.
And then, Kuma told him something, something he never wanted to consider. It has crossed his mind once, maybe twice, possibly three times, but the truth of the matter was that it would cause too many complications… and pain. Jin was positive it would.
Jin shook his head. "No, it's… Love is a luxury, a luxury I can't afford. Maybe if--," he cut himself off before he finished his thought. He was never one to dwell on what ifs; he was never the dreamer type…
But she was, though. A trait of hers he often admired. A fond smile gently tugged the right corner of his lips but quickly he pulled on his emotionless mask.
Kuma stared quizzically.
"No," Jin concluded. "I just can't." He pulled himself away from the mirrors and picked up the water bottle he left near the bench press. "I got to go. But it was nice seeing you again."
Kuma nodded in agreement.
"Good luck with your matches," Jin stepped out to the hall from the open doorway. The hallway was silent, all except for faint footsteps leaving one end and out the front door. Jin froze as he felt something under his foot; he looked down to see that he stepped on a white hand towel. He picked it up and turned to Kuma who was still in the weight room. "Did you drop this?" he asked the brown bear.
Kuma shook his head, growled and shrugged.
Curious, Jin unfolded it. And then, his eyes widened ever so slightly.
"You… got me something? What's the occasion?"
"It's White Day."
"Huh?"
"I don't know how they do it in China, but here in Japan, girls give chocolates on Valentine's and guys return the favor a month later."
"Oh, okay. Thank you. Oooh! It's so cute! It even has a little panda face on it!"
Jin clutched the familiar towel tightly, the small embroidered panda head staring back at him.
Notes: I think I'm brainstorming for a second chapter. If I do, I promise it won't take me five years to post.