Jin Kazama was really tired. It had been a long day at college and he wanted to get some sleep. College was a lot tougher than he thought. He just failed his Chemistry test and was feeling bummed, plus, making matters worse, his sweater was starting to attract electricity. It was not a good day.
"Jin!" a high voice behind him called out. "Jin, wait up!" Jin turned his head to see a girl with pigtails run up to him. Her face lit by a mischievous smile, she stepped in front of him, her hands behind her back.
Ling Xiaoyu was in the senior class in the nearby Mishima High School, and possibly one of the few people who actually talked to Jin, but then again he found it quite hard to shake her off sometimes. Very pretty and innocent, always going by 'Xiao' than her full name, she was his best friend, no matter how many times he denied it. Xiao flicked her bangs out of her face and smiled at him.
"I just got invited to Takeshi's party," she said proudly. Jin stared blankly at her.
"And?" Xiao giggled.
"I want you to come with me!" she exclaimed happily. Jin stood there for a moment, but then turned to walk away. Xiao gripped him by the arm, pulling him back.
"Hey!" he said, annoyed. "Come on, let go. I'm tired!" Xiao didn't listen.
"The party's on Wednesday, Jin," she told him. "Relax." Jin pulled free and glared at her.
"I'm not going," he said simply. Xiao put her hand on her hips, a smug look on her face.
"Seriously?" She took a step closer to him. Jin ignored her, dusting his sweater. "How about a bet?" Jin looked up at her; he liked bets, probably because he always won.
"What do have in mind?" he asked. Xiao flicked her hair back, a sparkle in her eyes. She moved her right foot up and held her fists in front.
"Fight me," she said. Jin blinked.
"What?"
"I said fight me," Xiao laughed. "If you win, you don't have to come, if I win you do." Jin was shocked.
"What? No way." He waved her off. "I'm not fighting you."
Xiao stood her ground. "What's the matter?" she said in a playful voice. "Scared I'll win? Again?" Jin rolled his eyes, trying not to smile. "Okay, how about this? If you lose, you come shopping with me for a new dress." The young man wasn't pleased.
"Okay, wait a second. I'm not going anywhere with you—"
"So are you going to fight me or not?" Jin was still extremely uneasy about it; he didn't want to hurt her. But then again, he didn't want to go shopping either. Slowly, he placed down his schoolbag and readied himself. He anxiously waited for her to attack.
She smiled again, and then charged towards him. He saw her coming. If it was any other component, he would have easily countered by punching them as they approached, but it was Xiao this time. Without a counter, Xiao was able to give him the killer kick in the head, sending him flying.
Jin flew into the brick wall, ten feet away, breaking it. He let out a groan and rubbed his head as he slowly sat up. Xiao giggled again and ran over to him. She pulled him to his feet.
"Well," she said cheerfully. "Looks like I win." She placed her hands evenly on his chest and reached up to him on her tiptoes. "See you tomorrow." She shot him a wink and ran off into the sunset. Jin watched her, still rubbing his head. He let out a defeated sigh and reached for his backpack on the ground. He checked his watch and started walking away from the school. It just couldn't get any worse, could it?
Unknowingly to either Jin or Xiao, they were being watched. A small black car parked nearby with two men, one bearing binoculars. They sat in silence.
"So Kazama Jin is confirmed to be going to the party?" one of them asked. The other man put down the binoculars, nodding.
"Yeah," he muttered. "Both Ling Xiaoyu and Kazama Jin will be there. So far everything's gone according to plan." He took out his cell phone and began to dial.
"Hello?" An attractive blonde woman on the other end picked up.
"Hello, Miss Caroline? This is Tane and Ryu. The targets are in position." The woman chuckled. She took a seat at her desk.
"Good," she said. "Make sure everything goes according to plan." She rested the phone on her shoulder as she took out a photo from her drawer. It was a picture of Xiao and Jin in their high school uniform.
"Don't let anyone see you. I want them both disposed off, for what he did."
"Yes, ma'am." Caroline hung up the phone.
She looked at the photo for a moment, leaning back on her chair. She then took out a lighter and slowly lit the photo, burning it completely, the flames reflecting off her cold blue eyes. She smiled silkily. "Jin Kazama, I'll take everything away from you for what you did to me. I swear on my life."
