If it is in normal style, then it is speech.

If it is in italics, then it is thought.

If it is in bold, then it is the individual's natural tongue.

If it is underlined, then it is Devil and the Creature.

Generally, if it is in italics and has singular quotation marks ( ' ' ) then it is Mental Speech.

Don't own any characters except Razer, Detective Burton and the rest of the gang (excluding Hwoarang).

All other characters belong to Namco.

Chapter Four: Welcome To My World

"I do not know what I am."

Steve rested his right elbow on his thigh and rested his head on his palm thereafter, "How can you not know, love? If you obviously have this ability to… change… into that thing, then you should know what it is."

"What you saw last night was what I was trying to tell everybody when I woke up after losing Hwo."

"Why didn't you…? Were you afraid of losing some of us as your friends…?"

"Midget walked in, as you should remember, so I couldn't exactly finish. I had other priorities in my head when she arrived as you obviously realised when I ran off. And contradictory to what you and everyone else probably think, no. I was not afraid. As long as I have Hwoarang I'll be fine."

"Does he know about this?"

"Yeah. He's known since he was sixteen. He met her properly at the 3rd Tournament."

"May I meet her?"

"No. She'll kill you."

"But she's never killed Hwoarang."

"She almost did a few days ago…"

Hwoarang.

She could smell his blood. His blood on her hands, in the room –

She could've killed him. And he still stayed. He didn't run off when she was unconscious.

That meant a lot. Almost everything…

For fuck's sake, Jin didn't even come –

The grin that had appeared on her face due that memory turned into a scowl at the thought of Kazama.

Protect her from what? She couldn't be protected. The Tekken Force always found a way to get to her, and even if they were not slinging bullets at her, there was always the creature within harassing her, taunting her. Now that he had been reunited with Xiaoyu (with thanks to Razer), it almost seemed as if he was too willing to get rid of the Greek for someone who could always keep him happy and not question him in everything he does.

However it was that type of things that made Razer who she was. Apparently Kazama loved everything about her (as he had said once), loved her personality… Such unfortunate and unpredictable slippings into depression due to the creature within, such a continuously questioning nature, were all a part of her personality…

Athane just realised her thoughts contradicted. Why were thoughts always so confusing?

"You okay?" Steve inquired.

"Yeah… I think. Hey, can we go see Seong-Hada?"

"Sure. Are you well enough to?"

Razer stood onto her own two feet, heading towards the shower Miss. Fox pointed out earlier, "Yeah."

Thanks for… making me heal quicker.

Whatever.

"Hey, you."

"Hey, Raze."

She kissed his cheek before rubbing his head and taking a seat next to him, "How're you doing?"

She could hear the trauma in his voice, "…Shocked, now. You only ever kiss Hwo. Should I be honoured?"

"Damn straight."

Seong-Hada spoke again, "Other than the shock factor, I'm doing better now I suppose."

"Good…"

The 19-year-old smiled sincerely, though it was noticeably weak, "…Thank you."

Guilt overrode her system, seeping into every corner of her heart, mind and spirit, continuously enforcing remorse for not being there sooner, for not defending her friends in their last moments. It was something she was used to… Not being there to help her Mother whenever she was being beaten, not being there to save her Mother when she was killed, not being able to be there when the old m- … Hold that last one. It didn't matter anymore, "What for? If I hurried, maybe someone else would've been saved, or you would not be so hurt."

"No… But you still came like I asked. That means just as much. None of this is your fault."

Steve leant against the wall, his slender arm above the 20-year-old Greek woman, "Why'd they come by?"

"They were looking for Razer to finish what they started."

Her eyebrows furrowed, "So they planned to kill me and kill anyone else who stopped them."

"As far as I knew, yeah, but we won't ever know now. Nice job. I just wish they didn't scream as much."

"Scream?" the Brit inquired, looking between them both.

"Don't act like you don't know, Fox," Athane drawled with a growl.

Wasn't it simply delightful and fun? I know I had fun. Thank you for getting so angry so I could control you!

Both men noticed the Greek's hand climb to her head. They watched as her nails digged into her temple. Both were still confused as to why she was acting this way, though one had more of a clue than the other. Was she trying to ignore the seething shame? Did she have a headache?

"Raze, I've got a question for you…" Seong-Hada sounded.

"And I've got an answer…" She replied dully, closing her green eyes, "I don't know what I am. Okay? Once upon a time I was born, and my Mother transferred some form of curse to me. It activated when I was only 12-years-old after nearly dying. For the next eight years it told me it was a Devil Gene, and I believed it. Only problem is the true Devil showed me that whatever I inherited was not it. It's a portion of something else that could be worse. Fucking creature," She spat venomously, "So… that is why I do not know what I am. Okay? What you both saw last night was her having seized control of my body. That's it."

Steve frowned slightly, his blue eyes looking down on her, "How… confusing."

"Welcome to my world. Deceit, hatred, pain, death and confusion are the main attractions." She opened her eyes and looked straight at the white wall opposite to her glaringly, "Love only cameos a few times."

Seong-Hada managed to bring his hand up to scratch his dyed dark blue hair, "Thanks for clearing that up. Now I know why you were so secretive, and why you barely talked. Oh and why there was a hole in your roof. Much appreciated, buddy, but that's not what I was going to ask…" His brown eyes darted from the scowl she was emitting to the white ceiling, "Any idea how long until I can get out?"

"No idea, SH."

Steve leant off the wall and watched the coming nurse, "Maybe she'll know. Miss, how long has he got?"

The nurse smiled sweetly, tucking her blonde hair behind her ear, and looked between the three of them, "We managed to treat the wounds rather quickly, so he should be all good in a week, ready to go back home."

Exactly what home? Razer thought bleakly, spinning her ring around her finger with an absent mind.

You are a fortunate one for you still have a home, unlike your fellow Korean bandits.

Yeah, right.

It is true. You were an only child in your family. No siblings or cousins. Therefore you inherit everything.

Her head snapped up, …Everything…? Like, a house, money, stuff…?

I do not see why not. You probably would end up with your Mother's Parents' house in the mountains.

…What if they're… alive…? I… I would have family… My real family… I hope they're alive…

Do not count on it. Even so the possibilities of you holding the inheritance are slim for I am sure you were believed to be dead until the 3rd Tournament. Further all items probably would have been auctioned off due to your 'death', because you did not come forth and claim such items.

You don't just tell me that I'm well off and then take that away from me, She replied with malice.

Whatever. I will leave you to grieve, monster.

Snapping fingers in front of her face brought Athane back to this reality, "What?"

"What're ya thinking about?" Seong-Hada inquired with a small smile.

She looked back down to her ring, still spinning it, watching 'Your Angel' slowly pop up, "Things."

"Like…? C'mon you can tell me. Steve's gone."

"What? Where'd he go? He was my lift!"

Amusement danced in his eyes, "…He's gone to the little boy's room, Raze."

She went to retaliate but looked away again, recoiling at his eyes that were in the exact image of Kazama's.

You cannot hold in your tears forever. Even when you swore you would never cry again after you left home, you still broke down. Even when you convinced yourself that to emote at the accused 'loss' of him and the absence of Hwoarang was weakness, that the way out was totally numb yourself, you still caved in! Weak mortal.

I will cry. Just not now. I need to be strong.

It is better to have loved than lost. Now you are forever alone with no one but me to torment you.

"Shut up…" Came the small hiss. Her green eyes noticed Seong-Hada raising his eyebrow, "Not you."

"Oooookay… This is gonna take some getting used to…"

Razer smiled a little and sighed silently. Even though Ki-Yerr and Mijj-Dala took away four of her friends' lives many, many hours before, she was just glad that she was able to save someone… even if it was just one.

Later that evening, Steve had brought Razer back to his home. Amy Fox was still hanging around, trying to help every so often, and returned home once she was satisfied with herself. It left Steve and Razer alone with their thoughts for a while, talking every so often, the former showing the latter around his home.

Such small talk was abruptly halted when Fox's home phone began to ring. He answered, "Hello?"

"Steeeeeeeeeve!" Came an over-zealous yell.

"Christie!" He shouted just as happily, resting his hand on the desk, "How are you?"

The Greek caringlysmiled and left the lounge room, heading back up to the guest room where she woke up earlier that morning. It was now approaching nine at night and she was awfully tired. Piecing together a lack of sleep along with exhaustion and injuries was never a good thing.

Her phone that was laying idly on the nightstand next to her had registered a text message from Hwo:

'i love u'

She noticed the time, realising it was sent only five minutes before she walked up. She replied quickly:

'i love u 2'

'i love u more'

'ur making me smile…'

'good.'

'ass'

'its nice, isn't it?'

'what is?'

'my ass…'

'-.-'

'heh heh :D… what r you doing?'

'packing'

'…y?'

'i'm going home 2morrow'

'wat home? its gone'

She smiled to herself, zipping up her back pack, now in her pyjamas. The possible solutions that the creature within had been siphoning into her that there may have been some people in her family that were still alive excited her beyond all belief. Razer quietly couldn't wait and was bursting with hope.

But that was only one reason she decided to do this. The flashbacks, the pain that was stabbing her in her heart and mind as she sent text messages to Hwoarang during her packing had driven her to do something about it… She remembered what she had written vaguely to Detective Burton a few days ago, saying how she was going to try and better herself for her own gain, for the Blood Talon, and for the friends that stood by her.

'not 2 sth korea. 2 greece.'

The 20-year-old silently sat at the desk near the closed window, with a pen and paper in hand, and began to write, happily prepared to leave a letter behind for Steve and Seong-Hada, so they didn't think that she was abandoning them. No. There was a reason, a distinct reason that could no longer be ignored. Its time was now.

After eight long, burdensome years, it was finally time to face her demons.