Disclaimer: I own this story but I don't own Tekken and the characters in Tekken. Namco owns them.
Chapter One
14 months ago...
"Son?"
He tried to ignore it. The sickening feel of the cars passing by and the bells ringing on those frail bikes; he tried to block it all. In his mind, he could still pretend, he wasn't in China. No. The place he was in, the place he loved was home. San Francisco, Chinatown. In his mind, he was still there. Not here, in a foreign country.
His stomach clenched and unclenched. The bile was creeping up his gut.
"It'll be ok. Trust me. You'll love it here." His father assured him with a gentle smile that it almost made him sick.
What did he know?
"Dad, I've lived in cisco' all my life. I know I should embrace my heritage but I just don't feel...I don't feel like I fit in here." He argued back, sitting in the heat of his dad's Toyota. "It's not me. I don't feel like one of them."
This place, Hong Kong as people called it was the kind of place for holiday for him. It was where they went for vacation; the last time he remembered this place was the last time he had been here as a twelve year old boy. His memories of this place were vague and since it had been four years ago, he had completely lost interest in it.
His father nodded in agreement and looked at the steering wheel. "We both know there's nothing left for us in America. Since we got bankrupt and lost Marshall China for good...this is the only place we have to rise back up again. Besides, I've always wanted a dojo of my own. Why not have it in our homeland?"
He sensed the persuasion in his father's tone. Feeling like a selfish jerk, Forest sighed. "I'm sorry dad, I know things have been very bad with the restaurant but...it's going to be very hard for me. I've had to say goodbye to old friends and leave behind the only place I could really call home." Forest explained. "You know I hate new places. It makes me nervous."
"I know, son. Forgive me. Please?" Marshall looked at his young sixteen year old son. "Forgive your old pops?"
He might have been a Chinese himself, but he always felt American. It might have not been in his blood, but Forest had completely taken up an American identity. "It's not your fault, dad." Forrest grabbed his backpack and reached for the door handle. "I'll see you later."
"Take care, son. Love ya." Marshall smiled as Forest got out of the car and slammed the door shut.
Forest waved his father goodbye and watched him drive off; feeling his stomach do flips, Forrest turned around and slung the strap of his bag over his shoulder. Swarms of student in their traditional outfits, busy in their daily chatter.
Forest couldn't help but think; anyone of them would have been deceived by him in his outfit but once he opened his mouth, they would all treat him like some dumb tourist.
"Well here goes nothing." Forest shrugged and took a deep breath, sooner or later he'd have to blend in.
...
"Sung Fu?"
"Here, miss." The boy in front of him lifted his hand.
"Law Forest?"
"Yes." He replied, bored.
"Ling Xiaoyu?" The female teacher continued.
"Yup!" The enthusiastic girl lifted her hand up right in the air; her glossy thick bracelet glittered in the sunlight and hit him right in the eyes.
Forest had been sitting right next to her, deep in his cluttered thoughts until the light was refracted from her bracelet into his unsuspecting eyes. He took a look at her. She wore matching hair hands for her pigtails and was so, girly.
She put her hand down and opened her pukka pad. Forest stole a glance and stared at the manga drawings she had drawn in hand.
"Is that a panda?" Forest blurted out without thinking and she covered the page with both her hands as if he had invaded her personal space.
"Don't look at it." She warned him lightly.
"Why not? It's really good. Your...drawing." Forest commented and stared at a picture of an old man with an apple in his mouth. "Is that your grandpa?"
Xiaoyu opened her mouth to answer but didn't let a sound out, she peeked at him and then slowly lifted her hands off the page.
"Well I guess it wouldn't hurt to show you." She replied, revealing the panda she had drawn.
"That old man isn't my grandpa by blood. He's just some old man who trains me." She explained. "But he is so annoying."
"What's his name?" Forest asked, suddenly finding something interesting.
...
14 months later...
"Dad?" Forest's voice echoed through the empty Dojo room. When he found his father sitting cross legged on the floor, Forest decided to step into the old dancing room and join his father.
His father spoke with both eyes closed. "Shh...the poisonous Orchid can hear and see...everything."
Forest froze in his tracks; listening to his father's words, he chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Dad, stop acting cheesy."
"It's deadly, you must bind with the darkness and make friends with your shadow.." Marshall stretched his hands out, caressing the air like it was a cat.
In the span of 14 months, his father had brought an old dancing studio and had gathered a few students. This building had become a small dojo and had grown so popular. He was happy for his father, Forrest wanted nothing more then both his parents to have success land in their hands.
But this was urgent; he had to break the news to his father. "Dad...I got threatened today." He paused. "It's Feng Wei this time. He said he wants to trash this dojo."
Marshall Law opened his eyes. "And so the poison Orchid strikes."
"This is serious. I've not endured a black eye and a few bruises for nothing. He's really serious, father. You've just had this dojo for a few months."
"I'll notify the police."
"Why not let me handle him?" Forest insisted. "I swear. I'll trash that guy up so hard that he wouldn't know which end is up." Forest pleaded, begging his father for the freedom to fight outside this dojo.
"You're sixteen, you're merely a child. I cannot allow you to sustain any more pain. You're my responsibility."
"Dad, I'm a minor. I'm not a child." Forest replied. "I can take this guy out, let me please."
"No. You don't fight outside this dojo. You know that, son." Marshall turned around and spoke with his son in a stern voice. "If you respect your own father, you will listen to him."
Forest said nothing. "You're not taking this matter seriously." It wasn't a question as realisation dawned on him.
"The police will take care of Feng. In the meantime, go help your mother cook or something. I have no time for arguments."
Forest clenched his fists. "But I do."
He glared at their reflections in the mirror and then left.
...
"Forest?" Xiaoyu climbed through his window and fell on the floor with a thump. His room was empty and she had taken the time to go through his CD collection; Forrest wouldn't mind. She knew it.
Their friendship had bloomed over the course of 8 months. She had grown attached to him to the point where she could take anything from him without asking. She skimmed through the artists and took her favorite collection out. "Yes." She grinned and hugged it to her chest. "My favorite."
She had heard the same songs with him over and over again but still loved them. Xiaoyu turned around and found Forest storming in through the doorway.
"Forest?" Xiaoyu looked puzzled when she saw his face. It was battered and bruised.
"What happened to you?" Xiaoyu put the CD on the desk and came running to him. If this was the reason why he hadn't come to school recently...
She fussed over him and he slapped her hands away. "Just leave me alone Xiao. Please." He tore the I-pod from his pocket and ripped his jacket off, ignoring Xiaoyu's attempts to see his injured face.
"No!" Xiaoyu forced him to turn around and she had gasped. "You...who did this to you?"
Forest looked away in shame. "I got my ass kicked by Feng Wei's students. Happy now?"
Xiaoyu fought back the tears that came to her big brown eyes. "How could they do this to such a sweet guy? I don't get it."
"It's because you don't understand." Forest bit back in fury. "Your world is full of daises and sugary stuff. You have no room for reality in it."
"How dare you!" Xiaoyu gasped in shock, upset at her friend's attitude towards her. "I care about you!"
"Yeah?" Forest groaned but continued his assault. "You will never know what real pain is. It's not your father's dojo that's gunna get trashed. It's not your father that ignores you and let's you get your ass kicked for trying to protect your family and their happiness. You. Will. Never. Understand." He heaved, towering over Xiaoyu who hid back her tears.
"I'm sorry." She whispered, clasping a hand over her mouth to stop herself from crying.
"You sorry?" Forest laughed, shaking his head and that's when she caught that whiff. It was a strange smell that came off from his breath.
"Did you drink?" Xiaoyu asked, worried now.
Forest shrugged. "Maybe a few. And?"
Xiaoyu was silent for a minute and Forest had jumped on his bed, completely ignoring her. "Are you gunna stay here with me?" He broke the silence, feeling her eyes pierce him.
"I will stand by you." Xiaoyu finally said. "Even if no one else does. You can always count on me."
Forest stared at her while she took off her shoes. "Hold me, till I fall asleep." He challenged her, wondering what she'd say.
Xiaoyu crawled on the bed and Forest shifted so she had more room. She reached for the covers and pulled it over them. Forest wrapped an arm around her and buried his face into her shoulder. Xiaoyu wrapped her arms around him.
"Sorry for being a jerk to you." Forest spoke. "I didn't mean it."
"I know you didn't." Xiaoyu replied quietly.
"Aren't you scared?"
"Should I be scared?" Xiaoyu yawned.
"No."
Those were the last words between them right before they both fell into a deep slumber.