Different
(A/N: This story takes place a little bit before King of the Iron Fist Tournament 3. Jin is 19, Ling is 16 and god knows how old Heihachi is!)
There he is, Jin Kazama. He came into my life about a year ago. Actually, I came into his. I just moved in and had all my stuff sent to the mansion. I was told to wait in the Mishima living room when Heihachi-san walked in and said in his big brawny voice "Xiaoyu! I'd like you to meet my grandson, Jin." Now my first thought was 'Grandson? But I thought his adopted son, Lee Chaolan, was missing and his biological son, Kazuya Mishima, died 18 years ago.' But I stared at Jin for a while, noting his features. I read up on the King of the Iron Fist before I left home to live in Japan, so I've read about Heihachi-san, Chaolan and Kazuya-san...Jin must be a Mishima. I mean...that hair...
So now, it's economics class and I'm wondering how on earth he keeps his hair straight up like that! It's pointy, straight, clean cut, so...Mishima-like. Heihachi-san has pointy-spiky hair, besides that one humongous bald spot he has, Kazuya-san had it, and Jin has it as well. He doesn't take very long in the bathroom at home; Panda's the one that usually hogs the bathroom. When some strands get out of place, I see him send electric charges to his fingers and Voila! It's an instant fix. So...does he actually use just electricity to keep it all up or does half a bottle of hair gel get in there too? Hmm...He raised his hand to answer the teacher's question. That's kinda strange. He rarely participates. Don't get me wrong; he's a smart guy. He always gets high scores on math tests, economics, science, Japanese, art...oh my gosh, he's in the top 15 students in our class! But, he's really quiet...
I remember the first week living wih him. I've never lived with a guy before. I mean, Heihachi-san doesn't count because he's old, and Kuma doesn't count because he's not even human! But Jin is a guy...He was the opposite sex. When he was 18, I was 15, so I was very intimidated at first. I was afraid he'd be messy and possessive or something but he was the total opposite. He was very polite and soft-spoken. He was quiet...very quiet. At first, he only talked out of courteousness, like "Good morning" and "Have a nice day"...stuff like that. His stare was kinda off, and he looked like he was always focusing on something else as he walked around the house. Not exactly a brooding type, but he was very distant. However, when I watch him train in the dojo, I saw how intense and focused he was. Every muscle, every glare, and every attack...his focus was unbelievable! Jin's different...
So now, as I look at him from across the room, I wonder why Jin does the things he does. Like for example, he keeps his school shirt a little more open compared to the other guys. I guess because he's capable to do that; he's got the pecs of a god. Not to mention his abs; if I put a water drop on his stomach, it would travel down every ripple. And that burn mark that looks like a tattoo; it gives him a bad-boy look although I know he's not one. It's kinda sexy in a way...oh geez, Ling, where did that come from?! But the man is gorgeous; every guy in school wants to be him and every girl wants him. Those girls probably dream what it's like to see him without clothes on.
I'm probably the only one who's been close enough. Ha! I remember the first time I walked in on him. I asked Panda if the bathroom was available so she left, came back, gave me a growl; I assumed she said, "Yes." I walked to the nearest bathroom, open the door, and there was Jin, wearing only a black towel around his waist. I froze, my eyes glued to him. His body was all wet and his bangs were messily hanging over his eyes. I was so shocked; I just started sputtering, "I'm sorry!" 's until kingdom come. He wasn't mad or anything, maybe a teeny-bit embarrassed because he said "Ok, apology accepted, but can you please leave so I can dress?" I couldn't look at him the rest of the day.
That night at the dinner table, Heihachi-san was seated at the head of the table and I was at his right. Jin entered the room; I looked down and played with my chopsticks. Then he came up to me, whispered, "Did you have a nice view?" and settled next to his grandfather on his left. I was furiously blushing while he was smiling throughout dinner. How could he be so cool about that? I finished dinner quickly and stomped away. I was running up the stairs when Jin caught up to me.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked.
"Because you're teasing me and being so cool about it!" I answered. "That was a very embarrassing moment!"
"Well, how do you think I felt? I was the one naked."
"Yeah, but--."
"Look, it was bound to happen someday. I mean, we live together so we were going to eventually see each other in unusual circumstances."
"Well you didn't have to tease me about it."
"I'm sorry for teasing you, so let's make a deal. If you won't talk about the incident, then I won't. Truce?" He held his hand out.
I looked at it, then his face. I shook his hand. "Truce." Then, he gave me a little smile.
He looks really good when he smiles. And when he laughs, now that is a rare treat. The first time I heard him laugh was a month after I started living at Heihachi-san's. We were in his room, playing Street Fighter Alpha 3. I picked Chun-Li and of course, he picked Ryu. It was the third round and we each won a round before. I tried to distract him by elbowing him and blocking his vision. I had about ¼ of my life meter left when I did a whirlwind kick. He ducked and did his dragon-punch thing, knocking Chun-Li unconscious. Yeah, I lost, but he was laughing at me during my distraction antics. It was really nice. We stayed up until 3am playing. Sometimes, when you least expect it, he opens up in small ways. Jin's a nice guy, different, but nice...
The school bell rings and class is out. Jin picks up his bag, stands up and exits the classroom. I quickly catch up to him. "Hey!" I call him. He turns. "I noticed you took your motorcycle to school instead of the limo. Are you going somewhere?"
"Yeah."
"Oh. Ok, I'll see you when you get back." I turn away and head towards the house.
"Actually..." I hear him say. "Would you like to come with me?"
I turn around and face him. "To where?"
He hops on his black Kawasaki and pats the seat behind him. I sit and wrap my arms around his waist. We speed off. First, we stop at a flower shop where he buys a small bouquet of different colored flowers. He hands them to me, asks me to hold onto them as we ride off out of town. I'm on the bike for a good half hour and I can sure feel it; I think my butt is asleep. Then, he stops the bike at the end of a dirt road and walks it behind a tree. "This is as far as we can bring it," he tells me.
We walk deeper into the greenery, stepping over bushes and tree limbs. We walk for about five minutes, and then stop. He takes the flowers from me as I stare at the clearing. A house probably once stood here, but now it's just...nothing. Burnt timber and cement blocks are what reside here now. He goes to the middle of the mess and I slowly follow. He sets the bouquet down, kneels and bows his head as he folds his hands. "Sorry I haven't visited in a while Mother..."
My eyes widen. Mother? You mean...she lived here? He lived here? They lived here? He has never really told me about his father or his mother. When the subject came up, he just brushed it aside. But...how long ago did this happen? All I know is that he moved in with Heihachi-san when he was 15. That was four years ago. I slowly approach him from behind.
"I was 15 when all this happened," he starts. "My mother knew an evil force was coming for her. The demon took her soul and killed her." He looked down at the flowers. "I promise you, Mom, I'll avenge you."
I nod. "That's why you entered the tournament? To find whoever did it?"
"You have your reasons just like I have mine. Grandpa said that this thing would want strong fighters. The tournament is the best way to get this thing out in the open." He turns to me. "But are you sure you should have joined? This is gonna be dangerous."
I try to smile at him. "Don't worry about me. I'm pretty strong!" He gives me a little smirk then returns to his prayer. "Do...you want me to leave?" I softly ask.
"I'm almost done," he says. I kneel beside him and pray as well.
We soon get up and leave. The ride home is long and my butt, once again, falls asleep. When we arrive home, we park his motorcycle in the garage and make our way into the house. As I walk up the stairs, I hold onto the railing, trying to get my legs to function properly. Then, I feel Jin's arm around my waist and he helps me walk up the stairs. "Do you want me to help you to your room?" he asks.
"No, it's ok," I assure him. "I think I can make it."
He holds me a little closer and places his cheek against mine. He softly whispers in my ear "Thanks, Ling." He lets me go and walks towards his room. I stand for a while and then head the opposite direction to my room.
Jin Kazama is different. He's different, but nice...and yet, he's...
...fin...
Note: Tekken belongs to Namco, not me, blah blah. This was my first Tekken fic and I hope you all enjoyed it. Yah, it's kind of Jin/Ling but not quite. Thanks for reading!