Author's Note: I'd really like to give a big thanks to those who read and enjoyed my last fic, Souls from two Different Worlds, despite the fact it wasn't really the fic I wanted to do. I only did it as practice and this story is more of a reflection of what I wanted to accomplish. Hope you like.

Misshapen Sentiment

Chapter 1

Lights swung over the room with the wild motion of a pendulum. Every color of red danced over swaying bodies and thin plumes of cigarette smoke. They captivated and demanded the eye to follow as they darted where they went, and to look away was difficult.

Lei Fang downed the rest of her drink, crossing her legs as she watched the spectacle in front of her: people dancing, eating, and conversing amongst themselves about things only they knew about. The music here was loud enough to vibrate her throat with the lyrics and the beat as it picked up. Her hips would sway and her eyes would close as she imagined herself somewhere else.

Still, this was all a nice change from the daunting college regime. Her schedule was tedious this semester; everyday she'd crammed a bunch of numbers, theories, and other things she didn't have the patience to memorize into her head. She'd sit with her shoulders slumped forward, eyelids heavy, with knuckles pressed against her cheeks as she read her textbooks. Sometimes, she'd fall asleep at the table, too exhausted to carry on. It was her worst enemy yet.

While college was important, she needed a break. She would rather imbibe on all she could here than spend another night behind the books.

Her fingernails tapped along the drinking glass as she scouted for signs of anyone she knew or recognized. She saw nothing but the usual crowd she had seen for the past couple of hours.

Most often, the men were quick to offer a drink and maybe ask for a dance as well. Tonight was different, however, as she sat undisturbed. With the club scene, she knew to stay mindful of the sweet talkers and the well-mannered predators who fed off the ignorance of others; the kind who would spike her drink when she wasn't looking. Even the handsomest man was suspect and she had her share of running into them more than once.

Lei Fang looked at her watch, noting how late it was, huffed, and stood to leave, squeezing through toward the exit. Then she was immobile, paralyzed by the image of a man, a man she knew, his features and posture unmistakable.

Jann Lee, standing by the entrance with his back facing her, arms folded about his protruding chest. He was like a statue there, stiff and expressionless. She could not see his eyes, but the aura he gave off indicated he hadn't blinked since taking position there. Never would she have thought she would run into him in a nightclub, of all places. The last time she had seen him was in a field secluded outside of Hong Kong before the Dead or Alive Tournament. He tended to distance himself away from crowds of people, preferring no one invade his privacy.

Lei Fang crept closer toward him, her head bowed as she noted the superior height advantage he had over her. His arms still resembled a pair of bowling balls. She cleared her throat, thinking of something to say, something appropriate, non-combative. Although they weren't friends, they knew each other enough to communicate.

"Fancy seeing you here."

Jann Lee didn't budge, continuing to remain stationary as he watched the patrons come in and out. Lei Fang didn't know if he was ignoring her on purpose or just didn't hear her. She repeated her line again, much louder this time.

Then he regarded her with the slow turn of his head, the hawk-like scowl never leaving his face. He was quiet, eyeing her as if he was wondering what she was doing here. Her gaze trailed down to the neat, white wrinkle-free shirt he wore that covered most of his upper body.

"Never knew you were a bouncer." She glanced at his pants and shoes with an impressed nod as they shined without flaw.

He averted his head from her. "I'm on duty." The statement came right away, so blunt as if he was telling her to get lost.

"Oh, sorry." Her head bowed again and she chided herself in silence for the mistake. However, she looked up again, the temptation to say something returning. "Do you like your job?"

Jann Lee didn't turn around this time. "I said: 'I'm on duty'." Now he sounded annoyed as his voice rose, as if he was warning her.

Her eyes narrowed, blowing air through her nostrils. "Well, excuse me for interrupting you, your majesty."

He mouthed something to himself. She couldn't tell what it was through all this noise. At this rate, she didn't care. The only thing on her agenda was leaving this club and going home. She passed Jann Lee without making eye contact and went out into the chilly weather of the Hong Kong night.

'Sheesh. It wouldn't hurt the guy to be a little more polite.'

Taking a seat on the cold bench, she waited for the bus, tapping her heel against the ground in impatience. It was quiet, save for her huffy breathing and the buzzing of the streetlamps on the fritz. Her gaze lifted to the beclouded moon, rolling her eyes, anxious to go home to take her mind off men.

Minutes passed like hours before she heard a door close behind her. Jann Lee and his colleagues were leaving, with him heading her way, dressed in causal attire. He sat down at the end of the bench she was on, seeming oblivious to her presence.

"Waiting for the bus too?" She asked in a mocked voice just to get a response.

"Why else would I be sitting here?" He grumbled, his stare blank and distant from hers.

Lei Fang looked over her shoulder to see his colleagues driving off in separate cars. A few women rode as the passengers, whooping and extending their arms out the windows like frantic children. "How come you didn't ask your friends for a ride?"

"They're not my friends." He snorted with that signature monotone voice of his. "Hardly even talk to them." It came as no surprise to her. She couldn't remember a time where she saw him associating with anybody.

"Oh…" She twiddled her thumbs, exhaling a soft sigh, moving to a different subject. "So, do you like your job?"

Jann Lee looked at her at last, drawing air up to his chest as his sigh deepened. "Why do you ask so many questions?"

It was the first thing he had ever asked her. She liked conversation. It ridded her of boredom and gave her a chance to learn more about the other individual. In the tournament, Jann Lee was a man of terse responses, but out here in the city, he had said more to her than usual.

"Don't know. Just curious, I guess." She shrugged and began peeling the skin off her bright-pink nail. "Want me to stop?"

He didn't react, didn't say a word. Then it was clear when she heard the engine roar and clank: the bus had arrived. He was the first to make it to the door as she kept a little distance between them.

When they boarded, she sat across from him and raised a finger to start a new sentence. Jann Lee, however, chose to stare out the window. She froze, then glowered.

'What's up with this guy? Am I annoying him?'

Lei Fang could not figure it out as she observed him. He had a clean look, a chiseled body, and a nice job. Yet, the oddity of it all, from what she could distinguish, was he desired nothing most men did in life; no fancy car, no women, no expensive items of any kind.

Instead, she saw him training to the max, performing one-finger pushups on one hand, and battering punching bags with his fists. In a way, it seemed fighting was his mistress, seducing and consuming his soul, guiding him to challenges new and old. In any encounter, he was either meditating or battling an invisible opponent. To see him do anything else was rare.

They came to Jann Lee's stop first, the double doors parting open to let him out.

"See you around," Lei Fang said to him as he rose from his seat.

"Yeah…" He didn't bother to look over. Most men would have at least given her their full attention if she spoke to them, but not this one. Furrowing her brow, she pressed her legs together.

'Just like in the tournament. It's like he hardly notices me at all. Am I that transparent to him?'

When the doors closed and the bus accelerated onward, that was the last she saw of him.