Jin's fighting style is so sexy

Disclaimer: dnt own jin yet


The King of the Iron Fist Tournament

A Devil's Promises

Jin Kazama/Hwoarang

VII

-"I regret… so many things, master."- Hwoarang spoke absentmindedly as he sat on his bed with a tray of food before him. He didn't have the slightest bit of appetite.

-"Oh, really?"- Baek was sitting on the couch close the Hwoarang's bed, reading a newspaper, -"A hot-head like you has never regretted anything in your life before."

The Blood Talons swallowed a snarky comment. He wasn't in the mood for that, either, -"But I do. I do regret this."

-"What is it then, Hwoarang?"

-"It's… it's Jin again."

Baek exhaled sharply through his nose and smirked, -"Though so."

Hwoarang rolled his eyes and ignored him, -"I think he's in trouble."

-"And…?"- Baek closed his newspaper and lent forward on his chair, -"What do you plan to do about it? You're not discharged until next week, approximately."

-"I don't know, but I have to do something."

-"Chase after him again? For what, to come empty handed?"- Baek sighed in frustration as he stood above Hwoarang, -"Time and time again you risk your life chasing after this man and for nothing!"

-"You don't understand."- Was Hwoarang's simple response. But to be honest, I don't really understand either.

-"Well, then, enlighten me, Hwoarang."- Baek crossed his arms across his chest, waiting for Hwoarang to continue.

-"I… I don't know how to, master!"- Hwoarang was just as frustrated and disoriented, -"I just… I know he's in trouble out there, and this time, I need to do something!"

-"What do you mean 'this time', Hwoarang?"- Baek inquired.

Hwoarang searched his mind for a short way of phrasing it. He clenched the sheets at his sides, closed his eyes and looked away in shame, -"He's… he's always had serious problems since he was young and I was so ignorant and stupid that I just ignored it and refused to help,"- Hwoarang realized the color of his knuckles rose to a deep red as he looked back at Baek with teary eyes and an apologetic and sincere look, -"I don't want to make the same mistake, master! You have to get me outta here!"

Baek stared at his student for a long time and Hwoarang wondered if he had something in his face.

Baek sighed and finally spoke, -"If only you showed that zest and determination for my lessons…"

Hwoarang saw a smile on that creased face despite his words, -"Will you help me then?"- He asked, rife with hope within. He has been dying to get out of the hospital.

-"No."- He said flatly, smile dying and seriousness replacing it.

-"N-no...? What…? But…!"- Hwoarang was disappointed. He couldn't believe it. He had trusted that Baek would give him his favor on this.

-"No, Hwoarang. Period."

-"But-"

-"No 'buts'! You're still a week away from recovery!"- He was yelling now, waving his arms in exasperation, -"I cannot allow you to risk your health to go God's knows where!"

-"But I do know!"- Hwoarang lied. He really wanted to get out and find Jin.

-"Oh, is that so? Then where is your friend headed to?"

Hwoarang searched for a lie, but he dallied two seconds too long.

Baek was the next to shake his head in disappointment while pinching his nose's bridge, -"And now you lie to me…"

-"No, it's not like that!"- Hwoarang was speaking nonsense now. Even he didn't know what escaped his mouth, -"Just listen to me!"

-"No, I am done listening to you!"- Baek shouted, pointing a finger at his student, -"I prohibit you from seeing this man ever again!"

-"Wha-"- Hwoarang's eyes blew open. Who does he think he is? His father? The gall of this old man! He thought, nibbling the insides of his mouth as he swatted his teacher's finger away from him, -"You can't do that! You don't have any right! It's not like you're my father!"

-"I might as well be!"- Baek yelled, louder than before, and left Hwoarang mouth's open and speechless, -"I might not be a father to you, but you are a son to me, Hwoarang! This is for your well being!"

The room went silent with a thick and tense atmosphere in the air. Hwoarang was at a loss for words. Baek was fuming.

The door to the room was opened and Hwoarang's assigned doctor entered in a courtly manner, -"Is everything alright? I heard-"

-"Yes, everything is well. I was just… having a discussion with my student."- Baek waved the doctor off.

The man just nodded and disappeared once more.

Baek exhaled tiredly, rubbing his eyelids, and turned to Hwoarang, -"I need to attend the dojo. Remember this, Hwoarang, everything I do… I do for your well being,"- Baek opened the door to leave, but stopped at the entrance to look at Hwoarang over his shoulder, -"Once, I understood the reason behind your search for your friend, but it has gone too far."

Hwoarang didn't say anything. He looked out through the window.

-"He's dangerous,"- Baek added and that caught Hwoarang's attention again, -"There are somethings better left overlooked."

Hwoarang frowned, -"What, are you saying I shouldn't help him?"

Baek ignored him, -"Think about it, if he really wanted your help… he would've asked you, wouldn't he?"- Baek paused, tapping the door's frame, -"There's a reason he hasn't involved you in his problems, Hwoarang."

Hwoarang was left stunned once more as Baek left him alone. He didn't want to think about whether his teacher was right or not, though.

He never considered how Baek felt about him, much less a son. Although not a father, Baek was someone important for Hwoarang. The man has taught him everything he knows about taekwondo. Without his teaching, Hwoarang would be a nobody.

But he couldn't abide his teacher's orders.

He had to escape the hospital on his own. Difficult, but possible.

He needed to help Jin, no matter the drawbacks. He can't make the same mistake again. This time, Hwoarang can't ignore his friend's problems.

After Jin left the night before, Hwoarang couldn't find any short hour of sleep and thus he had plenty of time to think. He realized that he was a horrible friend to Jin, despite his contrary claims. When Jin needed him the most, Hwoarang gave him a cold shoulder instead. When Jin lost his mother, he needed someone, at least a shoulder to cry on, but Hwoarang didn't even provided him with that. Jin was suffering, and Hwoarang didn't cared. Hwoarang was so stuck-up and ignorant that the only person he thought about… was himself. The only thing he thought about was being better than Jin in combat. Nothing else.

And now Hwoarang feels extremely guilty. He can't stop thinking and worrying about Jin, wondering where he is, and he can't stop his mind from bringing up that anguished, dismal and lonely expression Jin wore that night…

Jin is undergoing a situation in which he needed someone to rely on. Hwoarang wants to be that person.

Hwoarang wants to be his friend, a real friend.

And so he planned his escape that same day, at night, when the security activity lessened. It wasn't as easy as he thought; Jin's break-ins had the few guards alert and they discovered Hwoarang in his attempt to escape. Additionally, they called for support and surrounded the redhead. He had no choice but to fight, which for Hwoarang was easier than sneaking around. He also missed the adrenaline of combat.

His body hasn't fully recovered and, in consequence, the fighting on his part was laborious. His rib cage and abdomen still hurt, hindering his intakes of breaths, and his legs protested with each swing. He faced worse enemies, however, thereby defeating a few watchmen wasn't too difficult. Alas, when he finished, he needed a moment to compose himself before continuing his escape.

He made a run towards the exit and, once free, he sprinted straight to his home.

Hwoarang's house was small, but cozy. As welcoming as it was, he couldn't dally any longer than he had to. He needed to find Jin. He undressed quickly and fumbled around his disorganized house for his favorite, daily set of clothes. Once dressed, he snatched a snack from his fridge and started packing whatever he could find in his messy room. He loaded more clothes, food, water, and medical kits into a rucksack and stumbled out.

Baek will be informed of his escape soon. It's imperative for Hwoarang to be out of the city by then.

The "minor" setback was that… he didn't know where Jin headed to, specifically.

He decided to start by finding the secret dojo he had… somewhere. Jin never spoke to him about it, but Hwoarang knew he trained somewhere hidden. Kazama never liked packed places, so Hwoarang thought it had to be somewhere desolated from populace.

The hot-headed fighter visited each desolated slums and suburbs he knew of and was relieved when he found a small dojo within what used to be an apartment. He found it inside one of the many rooms.

It was Jin's. It definitely had the "feel" to it.

Hwoarang looked around and found it hard to believe that his friend made a living within a meager and squalid "home". There was a dirty, tattered bed, or something close to it, a cooler with only water inside, a small microwave over some old lined counters, a round table, a compressed bathroom, and distinct training equipment.

The punching bag, now on the floor, was empty of what made it a punchable.

The sand that was once inside of it was everywhere and it was streaming into Hwoarang's nose, making him sneeze too many times.

This place wasn't proper enough to be called a home. It wasn't because Jin is unorganized nor clean, on the contrary, he is. Hwoarang knew it well. It was because Jin was struggling to survive with whatever he could afford and find without resorting to theft.

A small smile bloomed on Hwoarang's lips.

You used to be humble and noble… didn't you, Jin?

Whatever he was going through, he was trying to stay true. He was trying to still be who he used to before his mother's death.

That… really made Hwoarang's chest warm up in an odd, but giddy manner.

He brushed off the feeling and searched for clues of Jin's whereabouts. What he found wasn't exactly good news, but it was still a lead.

Someone had trespassed into Jin's house. He found footsteps and imprints of someone's fingers on the sand. Lastly, he found a wanted notice with Jin's devilish face on it.

Jin was being followed.

Hwoarang was right. Jin was in danger.