NOODLES.

She poked the noodles in the pan with a spatula, wrinkling her mouth up and furrowing her brow. A quiet night in with a couple of DVDs was just what she needed… A chance to get away from the petty, overwhelming publicity; a bit of time to relax and say "hay, I'm just mediocre Ling' again.
Her nineteenth birthday was looming, and Ling Xiaoyu was faced by a buzzing and stalking paparazzi… Who followed her to her favourite party venues in hopes of finding out where her much-anticipated masquerade ball was to be held on November 22nd… The eve of her birthday.
She stared down into the boiling water and made a satisfied sort of sigh before leaving the room, crossing the hall and entering her bedroom to change to some blue flannelette pyjamas. Taking her hair out of her trademark pigtails, she caught sight of her reflection and sighed discontentedly, remembering why she never wore her hair down. No-body saw her like this… Looking her proper age. She chose to hide behind her naïve front simply because she preferred to be thought of as sweet and virtuous. It made her defeat in the King of Iron Fist Tournament 5 all the more ironic, and she would have been lying if she said she didn't enjoy the look of shock on her opponents' faces when they saw how tough she was.
Her training regime for Tournament 6 was complete early and all there was to do now was sit back and relax until it began. Having been catapulted to fame upon her victory in the last tournament, she was confident in this one too.
Plonking down on her sofa in front of "13 Going on 30" she ate her noodles and enjoyed them immensely until they were consumed. It was dark outside, and quite stormy so she grabbed a green silk cushion and hugged it. It had got to the moment in the movie where Matt and Jenna kiss… She tilted her head and smiled whilst placing her empty bowl on the table edge. It fell off and smashed in two, making Ling jump and snap back to reality.
Tossing her cushion to one side and crouching down, facing her full-length window, she picked up the remnants of her lovely black bowl and sighed as she straightened up.

Maybe it's fixable with a little superglue…

Her head rose as she was fully straightened. The lightning illuminated the balcony of her apartment and what she saw there made her heart beat ten to the dozen, and she dropped her dish again in shock.
The hooded figure fleeted… But being a girl of thick blood and vengeance, she swung the glass door aside and stormed out into the rain.

"COME OUT!" She yelled into the night. Ready for a fight, hands in front of her face, she inspected her balcony. Backing to the edge, she risked a look down… Approximately 17 flights were below her… They couldn't have jumped. The thought made her eyes widen: they were still here…
The shadows caused by the moonlit conditions made it hard to determine where her target could be, but realising the shadows caused were much too small to hide that awful figure she saw, she narrowed it down to one place… Her apartment! They must have snuck in when she looked down to the street!
That was it. Her eyes were slitted, and her stance was ON. Quietly, she crept through the sheet glass slider and made her way past her sofa. She reached a parallel to the kitchen archway, and her long hallway and front door were facing her… It was open! They got away!…
Her shoulders slumped, and she began to turn to her left but a small "oh" erupting from somewhere to her right achieved a heavy elbow to the crotch.

"UFF!" She gasped.
"Hwoarang?! What are you doing?!"
"I'm okay, I am… Jeez you can really rough someone up… Your front door was open…" he breathed, doubled over. His shoulder was met by her hand.
"Are you sure you're okay? I'm so sorry! I just scared myself a little…"
After a moment of heavy pained breathing, he replied.
"No, no don't be silly…" He caught sight of her sodden fringe. "Ling! You're drenched! What have you been doing?! Get a towel on or something!" He helped himself to the kettle and teabags on the worktop to the right of them, and set up two cups.
She walked over to join him, putting her palms on the worktop together and shrugging cutely.
"I told you, I just got myself worked up a bit over nothing…"
"Ay Ling…" He cast her a wary glance, stirring the teabags. He shook his head. "What are we going to do with you?"

She followed him into her lounge, where he stopped dead in his tracks, and placed the cups down on her coffee table. Pivoting on the spot, he was met by Xiaoyu smiling innocently and shrugging sheepishly.
"Sit down, Hwoarang I'll tidy that up…"
"Seriously Ling, there's half the river Nile in here…shut the door its pouring rain outside!
She did as she was told, and ran to shut the apartment door too, only returning to mop up the rainwater which had made its way inside and to clean up the shattered bowl.
After doing this she sat on the sofa cross legged, facing Hwoarang, her best friend since the last tournament, sipping her hot milky tea. He looked at her oddly, and she smiled over her cup.
"What's up?"
"I… Your hair!"
Ling's eyes widened as she banged her mug down on the table and put her hands to her hair in surprise. She quickly pulled two hair elastics off her wrist with her teeth and made to tie her pigtails back in, but Hwoarang stopped her by grabbing her arm.
"Don't… You… It looks nice!" He smiled genuinely over his tea… And for one moment she contemplated leaving it down for him to see, but she was embarrassed. His face fell a bit when she carried on looping the elastic around her hair.
"So Ling, you were saying earlier that you've already finished training? That's impressive."
"Yeah." Her hands checked that her hair was secure. "A part of me is a bit hesitant and says I should carry on, but I'm confident I can relax now."
"Good, good. Hey, 13 Going on 30... Your favourite movie? Are you alright, Ling?"
"Yeah, yeah I just felt a bit under the weather…"
"It's not hard to feel under the weather when it's pouring it down outside… Makes everyone feel a bit depressed."
"Yeah… Hey, you didn't come here on your bike did you, in this weather?!"
"Well, yes, but I only called in on my way home from work." Hwoarang worked evenings at a garage a few miles away from Ling's apartment.
"You're actually going to go back out into that rain?"
"Yes... It's not that bad."
"I won't allow it. You'll get yourself killed!"
"Aw Ling don't worry."
"Too late. You can kip on my sofa tonight.. And we can go for breakfast across the road in the morning. NO BUTS!" She smiled, knowing about his generous personality who would normally refuse such an offer.
He simply rolled his eyes in a resigned way and smiled.
"It can be like a sleepover!" She giggled and chucked a cushion at him. Luckily his tea was on the table.
"Yeah Ling, we can talk about boys and make up and shoooeees!!!"
She scoffed. "I wouldn't expect anything less off you anyway!!"
"Oh, come on, I may be vain and bloody gorgeous but I don't fancy boys!"
Instead of retaliating, Ling held back a smirk and faced the TV, sipping her tea. Hwoarang poked her shoulder. She ignored him. He did it again… Nothing. Once more. She sipped her tea.

"Oooh, silent treatment. I know how to solve that." His arm slowly moved towards her and she leant away. His hand met her ribs and he let his fingers tickle her into next year. She bent forwards harshly and slammed her empty mug down, spraying tea out of her mouth as she spluttered. He was persistent, though, and pushed her onto her side where she remained curled up, giggling and kicking him off with her feet.
"Stop! Stoopp!" She screamed, throwing her head back and giggling, clutching her ribs and pushing him away with her feet.

It didn't work…

Her feet slid from his toned belly to inbetween his kneeling legs, and as a result he fell down flat on top of her. The giggling stopped and her eyes widened. The tickling stopped and his jaw fell.
She struggled and he realised he was still on top of her, a fact which he was quick to change, rolling off her, and allowing her to sit up, look edgily in his direction and scamper off into the kitchen where she began hastily washing up.
He didn't understand what was awkward about that, except that he was on top of her. They were just friends. Just a friend… On top of another friend. Faces inches apart. Lips inches apart. Bodies touching. Her hips, his hips… Her breasts… His chest!!
His eyes opened very wide and he hit his head to get rid of such thoughts. The rain outside was pouring worse than before, and the lightning was more frequent. He couldn't escape that easily… And if he did run, she probably wouldn't forgive him. It would be made obvious that he thought the situation was awkward… She would know he thought such things. Which he shouldn't have because he was her best friend!
He felt somewhat perverted! She was just like a little girl sometimes. Surely..

Ling felt quite odd. Not only had something incredibly awkward just happened, but it had felt very… wrong… right. Right. Her cheeks were tinged with embarrassment, so she had her head bowed and disguised it by doing the washing up, just in case Hwoarang came back in. She looked over her shoulder and sure enough… He was there in the archway.
He was wearing a thin white t-shirt which showed off his slender shoulders and muscular arms… His legs were covered by some very tight black drainpipe jeans. The only aspect of colour in his attire was his flame red hair, tamed by a black bandana worn as a band. He had one arm out, leaning against the arch, and his head was cocked, throwing her that wary glance he always did.

That one which turns me on, said a very forbidden part of Ling inwardly.

She turned to face him from the other side of the kitchen and avoided his gaze.
"There is some cereal in that bottom cupboard… Help yourself if you're hungry for supper. Woo! I'm feeling pretty tired I guess I'd better go to bed I mean it's been a long day for me, what with the training and movie and that crazy stalker…" She said without a breath and moved forward, so did Hwoarang. "Ermm… You'd best… come to bed too…" She nervously gasped. "I mean GO to bed, GO. I'll set you up on the… sofa…" Smiling, she scooted past Hwoarang, who made no noise and just pulled that lop-sided smirk, in the doorway, careful not to touch him.
He turned to see her run across the lounge in those cute pyjamas to the cupboard under the TV. She pulled out a blanket and shoved it on the sofa as fast as possible, adjusting the cushions to group round one side of it for his head.
"Night!"

… Lucky escape… thought Hwoarang, sitting down on the sofa. How awkward.

He switched off the TV, before realising he hadn't shut the curtains. He locked the door first, and just before the curtains were shut, lightning lit up the sky outside. He could have sworn he saw… No, it wasn't possible. He shook his head and switched off the light before hitting the sack.

So there's your first chapter guys, hope you enjoyed it… First Tekken fic so don't be too harsh, kay? But still review if you feel the need- it's nice to know that someone actually reads this stuff!!

I've seen too many Xiaoyu/Hwoarang fics which rush into things which I think would be out of character on both halves! So this is my protest! P MORE TO COME SOON!

Xxx without-tears