Breathe Into Me
(A day later-Ling Xiaoyu)
I was getting ready for the prom, which was only an hour away. I had lain out a long, white shimmering dress, along with some matching shoes and accessories. Hey; if I was gonna meet some man that was described in a riddle, I might as well go all out. Besides, this is what I was gonna wear anyway.
I hope this works…but who sent the letter? It wasn't sent out of the blue.
I kept thinking about it even as I got dressed. There were only a select few that knew where and what I was doing, and they weren't even here. Sometimes, I even wonder why I even do this, but it's for a good cause. The note said he's the key to my destiny.
My doorbell rang, and I rushed to open it. Aw, aren't they sweet?
"Aw, look at you two," I said, swooning. "You look so cute together."
"Funny," Asuka said. "Very cute, Xiao…"
I squealed out of excitement and walked out of my house; this should be the best prom ever!
(30 minutes later…)
We arrived at Mishima Polytechnic; I didn't know that the school was gonna be this packed.
"Wow," I said. "This place is packed! I wonder if I can find that man in all of this confusion…"
"Xiao, go around and look, okay?" Hwoarang said, walking off with Asuka. "Meet us in the gym when you find him, okay?"
I nodded, and went in through the back. He looked like another Tekken Force commander, but I never saw his badge. Only one way to find out…
I looked around and looked through the array of men that seemed to be endless. Why can't anything be easy for a change…?
"His hair is long and dark, and his eyes resemble the color of the midnight skies…"
Okay, so I'm gonna have to search this place, head to toe? Ugh, I hope he's worth it…because right now, I could be in the gym with Asuka and Hwoarang.
I wasn't paying attention to where I was going when I turned the corner. I bumped into someone and fell onto the ground.
"Ouch…" I rubbed my bottom and stood up, looking at the person that bumped into me. "I'm sorry…"
"No, I'm sorry; are you okay?"
He stood up and brushed himself off; it was the same guy that I met downtown!
"I'm fine…hey; you're the guy that saved me from enemy fire!"
"Yes, I did save you. Why were you there, anyway?"
I shook my head; he was wearing sunglasses to conceal his eyes. Dammit, just show them, already!
"Why were you there?"
"Show me your eyes…"
He sighed and took off his sunglasses. His eyes were a midnight blue, almost glistening because of the light that was reflecting off of them. I grabbed his hands and looked at his face.
"Just who are you?" I asked. "Why are you following me?"
"Look, you know what I look like now. Why are you so obsessed with my appearance?"
"Because…" Should I tell him about the riddle? Will he know about it? "A riddle that I read reminded me of your appearance. I wanted to know if it had some connection."
He took a step back and chuckled. Why'd he do that?
"You really don't remember me, Xiaoyu?"
I took a few steps back and looked at him in disbelief. He knew me? What in the hell…?
"How do you know me?" I asked. "Who in the hell are you?"
He approached me and pinned me to the lockers. "Of course you would remember this…"
I looked up at him and felt something jolt me. I squeaked slightly and looked up at him with tears in my eyes. He was here the whole time, watching me…
"Lars…you're here…? Why did you show up like this? You were gone for two whole years, and yet you were right here in front of my face… Why did you keep yourself hidden?"
"…You read the riddle, didn't you?"
I held onto him, unable to let go. If this is a dream, don't wake me…because if this is a dream, I couldn't bear it; I'd go insane…
"I read it because it seemed so familiar…I wanted to know who it was from…"
"Xiaoyu…" He hugged me tightly as he whispered into my ear. "I didn't mean to make you go through what you did, but I had to handle something. It was extremely important."
"It shouldn't have taken two years to do! You left without warning, leaving Asuka in the hospital, alone! How can I forgive you for something like that?"
If possible, he leaned in closer to me, with our lips almost touching one another. I turned a fire red, even when he let me go. Yep, I'm back.
He held out his hand in invitation to me. "Care to dance in the gym?"
I accepted his hand, while trying to hide my embarrassment. "Sure, why not?" My depression dissipated as soon as I saw him, but we still don't know where Jin is; so, a little bit was still left.
We both started walking towards the gym, with smiles across our faces; well, mine at least.
"So…where exactly did you go?"
"I can't tell you…try to act natural."
We walked into the gym and slowly made our way to Asuka and Hwoarang. I hope they don't freak out as much as I did…
(Asuka Kazama)
I danced with Hwoarang, almost forgetting about Xiao and her problems. She walked over to us, with another man by her side. Well, I couldn't say she wasn't attractive.
"Hey guys," She said. "I found him!"
Hwoarang and I stopped dancing and looked at the man; I couldn't see anything familiar about him, but obviously Xiao did, since she went through all of this just to find him.
"What's so special about him?" I asked. "He's extremely handsome, I'll give him that."
"Show them, please."
The man held out his hand and I took it. The slight jolt of electricity shot up my arm and over my body. I jerked back, surprised.
"Why'd he do that?" I asked, rubbing my hand. "He's not supposed to do that!"
Xiao smiled and looked up at the man. He then moved his bangs out of the way and showed his midnight blue eyes. Everything finally came together in my head as my eyes widened.
"Lars? You're here? Damn, your hair's grown…and so have your features."
He chuckled and gave me a big hug. "Glad to see you too, Asuka."
"Dude, you've really grown in size," Hwoarang said with a touch of humor. "I meant it in that way, and then I don't."
"I get what you're saying, Hwoarang. And I'm not offended, either. I only hope that you're talking about the girls, and not yourself."
I giggled at their conversation; How…interesting. I quickly cleared my head and held onto Hwoarang's hand.
"So…since everyone's gotten reacquainted with Lars, let's celebrate our last day in school with a memorable dance, shall we?"
Everyone responded with a nod and walked out towards the dance floor. Let's see how well this'll last, though…
