FALLING INTO LOVE

By: T-Drift

A/n: Banzai! Another chapter! :D

Mind the coding, please; Swedish letters are incoming!

I hope you'll enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.


Chapter 4

"Running through fields of yesterday,

Below the burning lights of our future dreams.

You make me wanna reach out,

Hold on to dreams of tomorrow.

I wanna see you again; tell me this is home.

I wanna run to you

tell me this time it's been worth the wait.

Home.

Tell me this is home.

You, my safe haven—"

"Änglalikt." [1] Lars shifted his weight from the wall he was leaning against and walked up to the stage to stand next to Sarah; she looked frightened and withdrawn at the sound of his voice and he realised he had startled her. She probably thought nobody would visit the auditorium at the present hour. The sound from the piano gradually halted to complete silence as she stared at him.

Lars' outfit was pretty casual for the night. He wore a pair of black trousers, and a really nice, long-sleeved, dark grey shirt with a pearl-white, fiery emblem along his shoulders and to the front that looked like the image of a lion's mane. She liked that, he looked really good. But her observational discovery of his looks was abruptly clouded by the realisation that she'd been caught off-guard singing.

Oh God, how long has he been standing there?

"Sluta inte sjunga på grund av mig." [2] He looked straight into her soulful eyes, moved by her angelic singing voice, and told her not to let his presence interrupt. His words were a gentle breeze in the still and empty auditorium.

She stood up and carefully pushed the stool behind her in the process of taking a step backward.

"Förlåt, jag trodde jag var ensam. Jag testade bara ljudet, gjorde inget speciellt..." [3] She carefully turned the microphone the other way and moved its stand out of the way as she covered the piano buttons, embarrassed to look at Lars for catching her off-guard. Telling him she thought she was alone confirmed his initial thought, and he smiled.

"Vad gör du bakom skuggorna med en vacker röst som din? Du hör hemma på en scen," [4] he said as he tried to ease the tension in the air.

"Jag… [5]" She began but trailed off into silence again, cheeks blushing.

"Varför döljer du en sådan talang som din?" [6] Lars tilted his head by means of getting the woman to look at him.

"Lars, I… no, I don't sing, really. I just play around like that sometimes. Please, let this be our secret, I don't want to make a big deal out of it." She finally turned to look him in the eyes, her gaze emotional as she put her right hand to his left arm.

"That's pretty sad, you know. With a voice like yours, you'd move the world, I'm sure of it." He gave her a slight nod of agreement as to assure her he wouldn't spread the word around.

"Where did you learn how to play the piano, let alone sing like that?" His voice left no echo in the still of the room and he figured it was probably because he was standing so close to her, the sound of his voice unforced.

"Believe it or not, it was Jin who gave me piano lessons, but initially… initially I learned how to play a bit in a place far, far away from here." She sighed and looked him in the eyes.

"Kazama plays the piano? Who would've guessed…" Lars grinned, yet he wore a surprised look on his face.

"I know, he nearly swept me off my feet the day I walked in and saw that he was the one who played the beautiful music I was hearing that echoed through the halls." She smiled, the memory still vivid and colourful, his music replaying in her head.

"I, on the other hand, always get nostalgic when I sing or play, so I rarely ever do…" Sarah shrugged and locked her fingers behind her back.

"Sweden?" She could tell he understood her feelings right away.

"Yes… home." She looked down at the wooden floor and sighed, feeling bitter-sweet.

"You miss it, I can imagine." He took a step closer to her and gently moved one of the bangs covering her eyes as he spoke. She took his hand in both of hers and took in how strong yet beautiful it was shaped. It wasn't like she was obsessed with matters like these, but she had always liked his hands.

She smiled and turned to look up to the ceiling of the auditorium; the roof was made out of glass which allowed her to gaze through it, out into the starry night sky.

"Dearly, but this is my home too. Jin is home." She gave off a faint chuckle that trailed off into silence, her eyes filling with tears as she, once again, avoided locking gazes with Lars, still eyeing the millions of stars up above. Her last words were vaguely above a whisper at the mention of Jin's name.

"Lars?" She saw millions and millions of forever-burning lights, covering one sky, one world.

"Yes?" Almost a gentle whisper, but always so firm and determined.

"Do you believe in fate?" Lars was unsure of what the reason behind her question might be, but he decided to reply as best he could nonetheless.

"Well… in a way, yes I do. I believe that everything that happens does so for a reason. Everything must have a purpose, some sort of meaning." He wondered what she was thinking about while he remained where he stood.

"Do you ever wonder… where you would be now had you chosen another path in life?" Her mind seemed absent, floating amidst another world.

Nostalgic.

She seems lost and nostalgic.

"Sure I do, many times. But life isn't always easy, is it? I'm certain though, this particular path of mine must be a blessed one…" She shifted her eyes from the ceiling to meet his', her questioning gaze evident.

"I met you." He reached to caress her cheek gently, his sudden choice of words making her heart skip a beat.

"Lars—" Her upcoming words were cut off as a sudden familiar sensation ran through every single nerve cell in her body, his surprising kiss awarding her with the most wonderful feeling she had ever felt in her entire life.

She was in another world, floating on a clear blue ocean but sleeping on clouds high up in the sky at the same time. It was another dimension, a feeling of freedom and rest, of a safe haven away from the rest of the world. However, soon the feeling was immediately replaced by a slight jolt of surprise on her part, startling her abruptly as Lars' ringing cell phone brought her senses back to Earth.

He slowly pulled away from their kiss and flashed a smile at her surprise as he fished his cell from his pocket and took a quick glance at the caller ID.

"I'm really sorry, I have to take this call. Excuse me," he said and slowly let go of her hand as he walked past her to a corner even as he answered the caller on the other end of the line.

Sarah nodded agreement as she took a deep breath, exhaling slowly with shaking lips; she felt like hundreds of grams of ecstasy were in her system, her head seeming immensely too light for her liking, and his surprising kiss leaving her a foreign feeling she couldn't place. It was wonderful in every sense yet it made her unsteady all the same. Her heart was hammering faster than she'd ever felt it beat before.

No, please, no… don't tell me I've fallen for him. I've been there so many times, again and again; why should this be any different in the end…? This isn't happening, isn't happening…

"Ariuru koto desu." His words managed to snap her mind back to reality, and she turned around and saw that he was still on the phone.

She tried but she failed; she couldn't run away from the truth that was her solid consciousness. It wasn't just the surprising kiss she'd been longing for that made her feel what she felt toward the Swede. It was how he treated her, like she was the only one who deserved the beauty of the world. When she was feeling down he would be that stranger knocking on her door with a smile on his handsome face. He was the knight in shining armour, guarding her on those uneasy nights when she couldn't get any peaceful sleep.

On the night of her birthday, he had taken her up to the roof of the main building, way up high where she'd felt like she was on top of the world. He'd held her hand and asked her to look up to the night sky. As her brown eyes had met the most breathtaking view of the billions of stars that lit up the night sky, he'd told her he liked to think those were the souls of people from the past, that the burning lights were the very life stream flowing through us every day. They were "yesterday's cause for the grasp of tomorrow" and no matter where everyone went in the world, they would always share the same sky.

And isn't that what you've been looking for, for so long now?

Your safe haven?

Haven't you been looking for the home that he's holding out to you in the palm of his hand? A home, safe from this cruel and tainted world? A home you wished for with Jin.

Jin…

I miss him even though I know I don't deserve to. I let him slip away, and here I am, allowing myself to fall in love again...

Locking her fingers behind her back and stretching her bare arms she slowly swung around to glance at Lars again, her baby-blue, knee-length skirt flowing like crashing waves around her legs in the process.

Lars Alexandersson... He's always so sweet to me, always there for me, yet I keep my distance. That beautiful, protective soul of his… so tranquil.

I'd be lying to myself saying I don't have a hard time letting people in, letting them get close...

I hate it. I hate who I've become.

"Sorry, but I have to go." Lars' voice broke off her hypnotising stare. He walked up to her as he pocketed his cell phone, her rosy cheeks making him smile.

"I understand." She smiled back at him, her gaze not faltering even as the memory of their kiss seconds ago still being too fresh in her mind to leave her a second without shy embarrassment.

"Listen, Sarah…" He began and held her by her shoulders.

"Hm?" She attempted a sweet smile and for a second Lars thought he was looking at an angel. It made his heart flutter and he resisted the urge to hug her.

He spared her a glance of trust before continuing, "I don't want to seem pushy, and I certainly don't want to seem like I'm imposing on you, at all. But I do want you to know that I'm here for you, if you want someone to listen." His strong gaze assured her he would always be there if she needed someone to talk to. She knew that talking about her feelings would take the weight off her tired shoulders, but she also knew she was really good at keeping her feelings to herself.

"Lars—" she began.

"What you're doing is dangerous, Sarah." He interrupted her as he tilted his head to the side.

"But—" She protested gently.

"You bottle up your feelings and they'll ultimately destroy you. If you don't want to talk to me, at least talk to Jin. Please." She had not expected him to mention Jin.

"Jin…" She spoke his name distantly.

"Sarah, I don't think you know how worried sick he is for you. He doesn't show it, but I'm telling you he is. Trust me, I know." Lars trailed off as he gently held her by her arms, noticing how weak she suddenly looked.

He carefully embraced her, feeling like if he held her any tighter he would shatter her very soul. Her arms quickly found their way around his waist as she closed her eyes to the tranquil sound of his beating heart. She noticed his clean and soapy smell and sighed with content; there was something about the moment in a whole that made everything feel right and in order to her.

A minute seemed like five seconds to her as he, much to her disappointment, slowly pulled away and kissed her forehead.

"Don't go… stay." A whisper of longing; she was the lost sailor, and he was her safe shore.

She put her right hand to his chest, still drawn to his steady heartbeats, her left hand resting on his arm.

"I'm sorry. I would if I could…" Sarah had expected that response.

"Hm," a thoughtful sound escaped her lips as she broke off her gazing into his eyes, and slightly backed away.

"Hey..." His seductive voice drew back her attention in a split-second, his smile adoring as he held her chin up.

"Jag finns här för dig, oavsett." [7] Lars' reassuring words earned him a tight embrace from her yet again, but she just as quickly let go, fearing she would like it too much to let him go. She stroked her hand against his abdomen, trailing it to his arm and then off as she walked past him. Lars' eyes followed her every move as Sarah casually walked back to sit by the piano.

The sound of her heels, disturbing the peaceful silence of the auditorium, alerted Lars to head for the exit as he remembered the urgency of his leaving.

As Lars semi-hurried for the exit door, Sarah resumed her playing the piano as she closed her eyes and took in the music fully.

Meanwhile…

Outside the huge windows of the auditorium, the strong wind was playing with the hair of a certain other handsome blond who stood in the chill of the night with his hands in his pockets, observing the woman he had fallen for while she was kissing another man.

Steve Fox could hear her play the piano once again; Sarah had abruptly stopped playing when the Swede had approached her out of nowhere. Steve noticed this time she wasn't singing but just kept on playing.

Under different circumstances he'd have enjoyed the music and perhaps even walked inside and just… simply have enjoyed it. But the surprising scenery which had befallen a mere minute ago had left him jealous and… hurt?

Get over it, mate. You'll never have her; you knew it from the beginning. She's just too good to be true…

He was usually bold when it came to girls he liked, and always a gentleman about it, yet he just couldn't bring himself to confront Sarah; what was he supposed to say to her? What with everything that happened in the bar the night prior, he wouldn't have blamed her one bit if she never wanted to share even one innocent afternoon tea with him. Nothing had happened between him and Asuka, yet nearly all tournament participants were already well on their way of spreading rumours about how "cute" Steve and Asuka looked as a couple.

What a mess, you dare think twice and the opportunity passes you by. You'd think I would have learned something from my past mistakes by now—

A sudden sound of advancing footsteps echoed as Steve moved his eyes toward the sound, standing perfectly still. He ultimately turned around as the sound of the footsteps stopped. Steve's blue orbs met another pair of serious blue orbs.

The stranger was none other than Jin Kazama's Tekken Force officer, Lars Alexandersson.


A/n: Another chapter completed! Thanks again for the reviews, they are always very much appreciated, I want you to remember that. =) Till next time!

Translation Swedish/English

1 – Änglalikt – angelic

2 – Sluta inte sjunga på grund av mig – don't stop (singing) because of me

3 – Förlåt, jag trodde jag var ensam. Jag testade bara ljudet, gjorde inget speciellt – Sorry, I thought I was alone. I was just testing the sound, wasn't doing much

4 – Vad gör du bakom skuggorna med vacker röst som din? Du hör hemma på en scen – What are you doing in the shadows with such a beautiful voice like yours? You belong on a stage

5 – Jag – I (as in "me")

6 – Varför döljer du en sådan talang som din? – why are you hiding a talent such as yours?

7 – Jag finns här för dig, oavsett – I'm here for you, no matter what

Translation Japanese/English

Ariuru koto desu – possibly