The chilly weather outside felt like thin needles poking every inch of his skin. The wind blew several miles per hour, enough to make him shiver, yet mild enough so that he hadn't gone numb. His brown eyes surveyed the ice rink and its many skaters who glided across the ice with ease. They made the sport look amazingly facile. He arranged his red muffler more tightly around his throat to shield his nose, lips, and cheeks from the cold.
"Jin!" a female voice cried out.
He jumped at the sound, feeling his weight shift. Jin managed to grab the metal rail that circled the ice just before he lost his balance. He turned his head, brown eyes narrowed to slits. "Geez, Ling..."
Ling Xiaoyu lived with him in his grandfather's mansion. Heihachi Mishima had been impressed with her martial arts skills, so he had taken her in months ago. He even arranged for her to go to the school that he funded.
"What's wrong?" Ling asked, tipping her head to one side.
"Nothing," Jin assured. It felt awkward being out of his element. Ice skating wasn't exactly his strong point. So he just gave her a little smile or assurance and hoped that she didn't notice that his knees were shaking.
"Scare you?"
"No...I was thinking about something...didn't hear you come up..."
"Have you skated before?" Ling asked.
Great, he thought. "Hey, don't worry about me, I'm good. You go ahead and I'll catch up..."
Ling shot him a weird look before easily sliding over to his front and grabbing his wrists. Oh no, Jin thought.
"No point leaving you here way outside of everyone else," she reasoned.
A quick glance told him that he was a bit away from everyone. Of course, they all skated perfectly around the rink in their little circles.
"Hey, Ling, it's okay. I just...need to rest..." Jin protested.
"From what?" Ling asked, pulling him from the rail.
He decided not to panic. What was he going to do without the rail? Grab her in case he fell? He'd probably break a bone of hers if that happened.
"Listen..."
"Jin, it's Christmas season!" Ling said happily as she skated around him to face his back, releasing his hands. "You're sposed to have fun."
Okay, his knees were really shaking now. "Ling, I don't know if..."
"Relax!" Ling shoved him hard on the shoulderblades, causing him to lurch forward at a high speed.
"LING!"
He glanced back quickly to see her wave. His eyes focused forward, not realizing how much distance he had covered. Without being able to stop, he found himself crashing against the opposite rail and tumbling over it. Jin let out a sigh, struggling to his feet. Gripping the rail tightly, he hoisted one leg over the rail and the other once he found his balance.
"Great...got to the other side without falling..." he said to himself.
"Hey, mister! Watch out!!" a boy screamed.
Jin turned immediately to see a child of about eight, heading straight towards him, completely out of control. Jin held out his arms, hoping to catch him, but he underestimated the boy's size. The child slid right between his arms, his shoulder slamming against Jin's midsection. Jin doubled back, and he fought back a growl of pain. Sometime between spotting the boy and the collision, Ling screamed his name. He and the boy slid to the ice, stars spinning around them.
Jin heard the sound of footsteps.
"Sir, are you all right?" a woman asked. "I'm very sorry. Hiroshi, be careful next time!"
Jin barely registered the fact that the boy was ushered away. He blinked hard, feeling himself being lifted and dusted off. He blinked again. "Thanks..." he turned to face his helper and nearly fell over again. There was no mistaking the black paws that scooted away the ice sticking to his clothing, a pink scarf wrapped around her nonexistent throat. "Panda?! What are you doing here?!"
She made several sounds that sounded like a dying dog before growing silent, ignoring the strange looks skaters shot in their direction.
Jin frowned. "Really? I didn't know you knew how to ice skate..."
More sounds.
"Oh. Okay."
Ling glided over. "You okay?"
"I think so," Jin admitted.
Suddenly, a blur of brown fur whizzed by them.
"Oh look, Jin! It's Kuma!"
"What?!" Jin exclaimed, whipping his head around. He immediately lost his balance.
Panda reached out, holding him up by grabbing his waist with one arm. Jin stared at Kuma in shock as the bear easily glided across the ice, performing a jump and landing with ease.
"I didn't know he skated either!" Jin said.
The bear began to rapidly spin on one toe, then proceeded to do a sit spin.
"Wow, he's really good!" Ling exclaimed.
"Since when?!" Jin was still in shock. "He can't even dance!"
Ling clapped her hands in delight. "That's so cool!"
Kuma suddenly began skating towards them quickly. Jin struggled, trying to free himself from Panda's grip. She protested.
"No, I won't fall, I'll be fine!" Jin assured.
Jin closed his eyes as Kuma's figure loomed over them, expecting an impact. Feeling nothing, Jin opened his eyes to discover that Kuma has slid across the ice to get down on one knee, a small bouquet of flowers in his claws, stretched out to Panda.
Ling and Jin watched Panda expectantly. She raised her fist as if to smack Kuma on the snout.
"Wait!" Jin said, knowing exactly what she was about to do.
She glanced at him, lowering her hand. As if smiling, she released him, nudging him towards Ling. She took the bouquet, bringing a grin to Kuma's face. The two bears skated off, hand-in-hand.
Ling sighed. "How sweet..."
He smiled. "That was pretty nice of her..."
"Jin..." Ling began, staring at the sky.
Jin looked at her, following her gaze. Snow began to softly fall towards the earth.
In the distance, one of Kuma's paws moved a bit lower than was welcome on Panda's backside. She smacked him hard across the face, causing him to fly several feet away.
Jin and Ling cringed but glanced at each other, laughing. Kuma called after Panda apologetically, and she replied.
"What are they saying?" Ling asked.
Jin sighed, leaning his forehead against the heel of his hand. "He said, 'I didn't mean to piss you off, but you have a nice butt.' She said, 'Don't ever come near me again.' "
"Oh." Ling shook her head sadly. "That's too bad. And things started off so well..."
"Jin!" a female voice cried out.
He jumped at the sound, feeling his weight shift. Jin managed to grab the metal rail that circled the ice just before he lost his balance. He turned his head, brown eyes narrowed to slits. "Geez, Ling..."
Ling Xiaoyu lived with him in his grandfather's mansion. Heihachi Mishima had been impressed with her martial arts skills, so he had taken her in months ago. He even arranged for her to go to the school that he funded.
"What's wrong?" Ling asked, tipping her head to one side.
"Nothing," Jin assured. It felt awkward being out of his element. Ice skating wasn't exactly his strong point. So he just gave her a little smile or assurance and hoped that she didn't notice that his knees were shaking.
"Scare you?"
"No...I was thinking about something...didn't hear you come up..."
"Have you skated before?" Ling asked.
Great, he thought. "Hey, don't worry about me, I'm good. You go ahead and I'll catch up..."
Ling shot him a weird look before easily sliding over to his front and grabbing his wrists. Oh no, Jin thought.
"No point leaving you here way outside of everyone else," she reasoned.
A quick glance told him that he was a bit away from everyone. Of course, they all skated perfectly around the rink in their little circles.
"Hey, Ling, it's okay. I just...need to rest..." Jin protested.
"From what?" Ling asked, pulling him from the rail.
He decided not to panic. What was he going to do without the rail? Grab her in case he fell? He'd probably break a bone of hers if that happened.
"Listen..."
"Jin, it's Christmas season!" Ling said happily as she skated around him to face his back, releasing his hands. "You're sposed to have fun."
Okay, his knees were really shaking now. "Ling, I don't know if..."
"Relax!" Ling shoved him hard on the shoulderblades, causing him to lurch forward at a high speed.
"LING!"
He glanced back quickly to see her wave. His eyes focused forward, not realizing how much distance he had covered. Without being able to stop, he found himself crashing against the opposite rail and tumbling over it. Jin let out a sigh, struggling to his feet. Gripping the rail tightly, he hoisted one leg over the rail and the other once he found his balance.
"Great...got to the other side without falling..." he said to himself.
"Hey, mister! Watch out!!" a boy screamed.
Jin turned immediately to see a child of about eight, heading straight towards him, completely out of control. Jin held out his arms, hoping to catch him, but he underestimated the boy's size. The child slid right between his arms, his shoulder slamming against Jin's midsection. Jin doubled back, and he fought back a growl of pain. Sometime between spotting the boy and the collision, Ling screamed his name. He and the boy slid to the ice, stars spinning around them.
Jin heard the sound of footsteps.
"Sir, are you all right?" a woman asked. "I'm very sorry. Hiroshi, be careful next time!"
Jin barely registered the fact that the boy was ushered away. He blinked hard, feeling himself being lifted and dusted off. He blinked again. "Thanks..." he turned to face his helper and nearly fell over again. There was no mistaking the black paws that scooted away the ice sticking to his clothing, a pink scarf wrapped around her nonexistent throat. "Panda?! What are you doing here?!"
She made several sounds that sounded like a dying dog before growing silent, ignoring the strange looks skaters shot in their direction.
Jin frowned. "Really? I didn't know you knew how to ice skate..."
More sounds.
"Oh. Okay."
Ling glided over. "You okay?"
"I think so," Jin admitted.
Suddenly, a blur of brown fur whizzed by them.
"Oh look, Jin! It's Kuma!"
"What?!" Jin exclaimed, whipping his head around. He immediately lost his balance.
Panda reached out, holding him up by grabbing his waist with one arm. Jin stared at Kuma in shock as the bear easily glided across the ice, performing a jump and landing with ease.
"I didn't know he skated either!" Jin said.
The bear began to rapidly spin on one toe, then proceeded to do a sit spin.
"Wow, he's really good!" Ling exclaimed.
"Since when?!" Jin was still in shock. "He can't even dance!"
Ling clapped her hands in delight. "That's so cool!"
Kuma suddenly began skating towards them quickly. Jin struggled, trying to free himself from Panda's grip. She protested.
"No, I won't fall, I'll be fine!" Jin assured.
Jin closed his eyes as Kuma's figure loomed over them, expecting an impact. Feeling nothing, Jin opened his eyes to discover that Kuma has slid across the ice to get down on one knee, a small bouquet of flowers in his claws, stretched out to Panda.
Ling and Jin watched Panda expectantly. She raised her fist as if to smack Kuma on the snout.
"Wait!" Jin said, knowing exactly what she was about to do.
She glanced at him, lowering her hand. As if smiling, she released him, nudging him towards Ling. She took the bouquet, bringing a grin to Kuma's face. The two bears skated off, hand-in-hand.
Ling sighed. "How sweet..."
He smiled. "That was pretty nice of her..."
"Jin..." Ling began, staring at the sky.
Jin looked at her, following her gaze. Snow began to softly fall towards the earth.
In the distance, one of Kuma's paws moved a bit lower than was welcome on Panda's backside. She smacked him hard across the face, causing him to fly several feet away.
Jin and Ling cringed but glanced at each other, laughing. Kuma called after Panda apologetically, and she replied.
"What are they saying?" Ling asked.
Jin sighed, leaning his forehead against the heel of his hand. "He said, 'I didn't mean to piss you off, but you have a nice butt.' She said, 'Don't ever come near me again.' "
"Oh." Ling shook her head sadly. "That's too bad. And things started off so well..."