If it is normal, then it is speech.
If it is in italics, then it is thought.
If it is in
bold, then it is the character's natural tongue.
If it is in
underline, then it is Devil.


Author's Note: This chapter has been edited (13/05/09).


Chapter Eight: The Friendship

Through almond eyes, the receptionist watched each of the competitors come in and out throughout the morning to observe the roster. Blowing her light blue bubblegum, she span the paper around again to look for herself, seeing as currently nobody was interested in it at the present moment.

King Of Iron Fist Tournament
Roster
Round One

11 v.s. 9.
5 v.s. 17
6 v.s. 13
10 v.s. 19
16 v.s. 4
12 v.s. 2
8 v.s. 14
7 v.s. 15
1 v.s. 3
18 has the bye.

"Can I get a quick look at that?" a female voice questioned.

The receptionist nodded and span the paper around to face her, "Here you are."

"Thank you," Razer said quietly, scanning over for numbers sixteen and seventeen. When she found them, she noted that Hwoarang was going up against whoever number four was, and she would be up against number five. She would tell him later, whenever he decided to wake up and come out of his hotel room. The Korean had a very bad habit of sleeping in, despite the fact that it was currently late in the afternoon. Their second day here in Japan, and he had slept through half of it already.

You are bothered. Let's take a walk, shall we?

It is you who is bothering me, she answered, deciding to follow the devil within's suggestion regardless. Tugging down the hood of her black jacket, she kept her head down, avoiding eye contact with anyone. She didn't really like attention, let alone some of the people she had met so far in the tournament (that Paul was a real jackass).

Is there anything besides me that is hassling you?

Amused by the query, she stopped entirely and asked, Are you actually caring whether I'm alright nor not?

When no response came, she continued on her way, straying far from the hotel. She eventually got lost after some time, passing a multitude of parks, skyscrapers and shops; and cursed herself for letting herself get so far away. That, and not being able to understand Japanese. Any Japanese person she asked to direct her back to the hotel would either ignore her, or stop and in Japanese, ask her to repeat the question… in Japanese. If Hwoarang were here, he'd have a better idea of what they were saying.

She eventually found herself in front of a school, guarded with a dark grey fence. She looked up and down it, noting its largeness and cleanliness. different from the school she used to go to in Greece. Even though she lived in a well-off, middle class family, the school she had been sent to was a crummy public school, which was falling apart everywhere and was loaded with the type of people she wanted to avoid at all costs. It was like the polar opposite of this one. The environment of her school had turned her off education. Whatever little interest she had in art and history diminished.

The bell of the school rang, echoing throughout the front quadrant and beyond. Soon after, the pitter-patter of children and teenagers' footsteps soon came, and to avoid the coming flood of youth; she turned around, figuring it was best to get back to the hotel by going the way she came. If she could remember the routes well enough, then…

Her cellphone rang, pumping out a crummy, pre-loaded, monotonous tone. She picked it up, "What?"

"Where the hell are you?" Hwoarang inquired groggily.

"I am walking. I just passed a school."

"This early in the morning?!"

She grinned, "It's like… three in the afternoon, Hwo."

"…Shit. Anyway, how long have you been walking?"

"About half an hour or so, most probably more. Anyway I am going to go now. By the way, you are up against whoever number four is. Now stop lazing around and go get some training in, or something. Or eat, whichever. Later," she hung up and placed the phone back in her pocket. The item was later joined by her gloved hand.

The laughter of other teenagers began to fill her ears. it made her think of how long it had been since she honestly felt the same way as they were, and consistently – purely happy. Her friends made her happy, such as Seong-Hada's English screw-ups and whenever he walked into walls in a dark room with his sunglasses on; Hwoarang's 'sarang hae yo' did as well, whatever it meant, but… While she was grateful it was there, she doubted that it would be able to blossom wholly for a fair while longer.

Since what happened at home.

She walked faster, making an attempt to drown out the memories of home and the approaching laughter. But regardless, it just got closer and closer and closer, until she could feel it by her sides. It was then that the 18-year-old realised that the source was around her. Some of the kids had followed her, most probably intrigued as to why some random girl in black was hanging out near their school.

One put a lanky arm across her to stop her from walking forward, "Hey babe."

She came to a stop and avoided their gaze, looking straight to the ground.

The guy began trying to take her hood off, and it was then that he realised she was not Japanese. Not perturbed by the revelation, he began to speak English and continued, "I have never seen you around here before."

"What do you want?" she asked firmly, letting her forest green eyes flash up and take in the enemy.

He was a young man, probably around her age, with black hair and dark, dark brown eyes, almost appearing to be blacked. He was in the school's uniform, which consisted of some unattractive, green, lined pants, brown shoes, a crisp, button-up, white shirt, and a blue jumper. The jumper itself was clearly stretched, so stretched in fact that the neck-area extended from one side of his neck to the other shoulder. Two more boys, both in the same uniform, were standing on either side of him.

There are more behind you. I can smell them.

As the middle man removed her hood, she turned her head, indeed seeing another three standing behind her.

You are surrounded.

Her left fist clenched as the middle guy spoke once again with a sleazy smile. He tapped his chin sarcastically in thought, "What do I want, huh… Hmm… You would be good. You would look great by my side…"

The other five chuckled. Razer deviously grinned, straightening up slightly, her other fist clenching, "I advise you pursue a new objective."

He took in her words and understood them, before countering, "And what if I don't? What're ya gonna do about it?"

"I advise you pursue a new objective," she repeated calmly.

He made a dismissive sound. His hand darted out, ensnaring her wrist in his hand, and he jerked her forward forcefully. She fumbled, but only slightly, for her had misunderstood her underlying strength, "I always get what I want babe… Whether the person follows along with it, or not. I always get it."

He raised his other fist, launching it, however it was far too slow. Razer dodged it with ease and delivered a forceful uppercut, hearing his teeth smash together. The other five boys took the opportunity to jump at her – after all, they did wound their little leader. She dodged as many strikes as possible, and threw out many of her own, with heavy emphasis on an attack named Nose Bleeder, seeing as it was a fast, powerful and short ranged attack. By now, she could hear other people running to see the fight transpiring.

This reminds me of the alley fight between you, Kazama and Ling. Only they were far more of a challenged, and far more skilled than these bumbling fools.

One of the cronies punched her in the stomach with force, consequently winding her. It took her a second or two to recover the blow, however in this time, she was attacked more from other angles. Her hand darted out, grabbing the assailant's arm, and swiftly tossed them into another two boys, essentially creating a small 'bowling' effect. She was growing tired, and wanted to run – but if she did, then there was a possibility that they would follow her.

She was punched in the back for a second time. She growled and turned to attack them…

…but was beat to it. A quick punch, swirled in red electricity, sent him into the fence.

I sense a rising fury.

Razer crouched defensively, feeling the wind of a roundhouse kick fly over her head, sending another henchman into the ground. She heard him groan in pain, and could see him a few feet away from her, struggling to get up. He eventually gave up the quest, and allowed his body to give way with a nasty thud. All that was left was the leader, whose lip was split open and bleeding profusely.

The leader lost interest in the Greek and dove over her head, going for the reinforcement. She could hear the attack be blocked, and he backtracked a bit, consequently tripping over the back of her leg. She took it upon herself to hurt him, lying on her back quickly as he began to fall, and kneed him in the stomach with as much force as possible. He yelled in pain, cursing in his native tongue, before staggering away from all of them, followed by whatever 'friends' could stand.

He stopped for a moment and looked over his shoulder, seeing her stand fully, threatening another punch. He narrowed his eyes at the both of them, the coldness of his stare filling the atmosphere. Thereafter, he ran off as quickly as possible and out of sight. Razer relaxed and unclenched her fists, her point proven and finally at peace.

Her peace was disturbed due to an involuntary shiver, her body tinging from the thrill of the fight and the adrenalin rush, as well as feeling a long, hot breath pass down her neck. It was somewhat pleasant. The person spoke quietly, his familiar, deep voice barely an audible whisper, "Hey… Are you alright?"

She briefly closed her eyes for a bit longer than the standard blink, nodding slightly. She opened them once more and turned her head to the person behind her, seeing Jin stand there, his eyebrows furrowed, peering at her with concern. She couldn't hide the coming smile and murmured back, "I'm alright. Thank you, Kazama."

The other students who had gathered around to watch the fight had now dispersed to other locations, either spreading the word or returning to their former business. The pair left the site slowly, heading down the long sidewalk. The Japanese man spoke, still rather calm and controlled, but no longer whispering, "What were you doing here?"

"I went for a walk… and ended up here. I was starting to go back…"

He adjusted his school bag over his shoulder with a small grin, "I take it that you are lost?"

"Yeah," she admitted, quickly tucking her light brown hair behind her ear, thereafter shoving her handsin hre pockets.

"Follow me then, I was heading back to the hotel regardless."

She muttered under her breath, "You don't say, Snobby Rich Kid…"

Jin heard that. Frowning, he looked down, "Um… what does that exactly mean?"

"Oh. It means 'Snobby Rich Kid'. Buuuut, I don't really think it's fair to call you that seeing as we're friends now, eh Jin?"

He paused for a moment and looked to her, "You know, that is the first time that you have called me by my name."

"Does it matter?" she asked, scratching the back of her head uncomfortably – a trait she picked up from the Blood Talon.

He looked away, looking ahead of him, "No, I just noticed it… That's all."

Both fell silent and continued to walk for the long ten minutes. Occasional glances were thrown at one another, and at some moments, they were spotted by the other. In such a predicament, eyes would hurriedly divert back to their feet or slightly ahead of them. Both endlessly searched for a topic to speak of for the duration, and both came up with nothing.

Fortunately, Razer eventually found a topic, "So what school was that?"

"Mishima High. It is my final year there," he said, thereafter tacking on a question he had found, "Are you liking Japan?"

"Yeah, it is better than South Korea and Greece, that's for sure –"

"You are Greek hmm? Interesting. What is it like in your homeland?"

She clenched her fists in her pockets, visibly beginning to tremble slightly, "I don't want to talk about it."

He noticed this lapse in strength and recoiled slightly. Trying to show some form of comfort, he did what he thought Hwoarang would have done, and put one arm around her form, rubbing her right arm with his hand, "I apologise. I did not mean to hurt or offend you in some way, if I have… and I hope not."

She nodded solemnly, not objecting to the act, "I know you didn't, its okay."

His arm is around you and you have not lashed out at the stranger yet. I am surprised, Athane.

Jin released his hold of her swiftly when her phone rang. She answered with her usually greeting, "What?"

"Turns out number four is some guy called Bryan Fury," Hwoarang chortled, "And your guy is King."

"What kind of parent would name their son King?" she asked him, bewildered and surprised.

"Beats me. Maybe he has a sister named Queen or something. Anyway, are you back yet?"

"Um… one moment…" she pulled the phone away from her ear and mouthed 'how far' to Jin.

"Around the corner," he responded.

"Around the corner," she repeated, "See you in a bit."

The Japanese man cleared his throat as she put the phone away, "Does he always talk that loud?"

"Only on the phone," she said, thereafter speaking of another issue, "Hey, did you come out of the school with Midget? I didn't notice her with you when we started to leave."

He paused for a moment, and then rubbed his temples in frustration, "I said I would be right back, and I left without her… Dammit! She's going to yell at me when she finds me next! So long hearing! Damn…"

The hotel soon came into sight. They both entered quietly, surprised to see that the area was practically desolate. Even the receptionist was gone.

"What number are you?" Razer asked, keeping a sharp eye out for Hwoarang.

He stretched and sighed, "Twelve, and I am up against number two."

She picked up the change in emotion, "I see… And are you okay?"

"Nothing much… I am just thinking."

A pause arrived, followed by small talk, "You can tell me."

"Ah, Jin! There you are."

Razer's head snapped up, looking for the source of the voice. Jin mumbled 'oh no', and straightened up, watching his Grandfather approach. He spoke curtly, careful to not allow his tone of voice to betray his innermost thoughts in regards to him, "Grandfather."

The Greek watched a built, old man walk towards them. The thing that struck her the most about him was his white hair. Of what was left, it was splaying in an outward direction, adding a general uniqueness to him. It looked quite interesting. If she had been born a male and was going bald, she would approve of such a hairstyle for her own head. Something else that struck her was the swift change in Jin. It was almost as though he was scared.

"Welcome back," Heihachi remarked, "I take it that you were a good little boy in school today?"

"I am not a child…"

Heihachi laughed, "Yes, whatever you think. And who is this young lady?"

Be careful, Devil warned.

Is this the…?

Possibly. Look at how Jin is reacting. He is not happy. The man is not welcome.

"Um…" the young Japanese boy began, thinking that it was better not to lie, "This is… This I sRazer."

"I see, I see, one of the contestants… Greetings. I am Heihachi Mishima, the sponsor and creator of the tournament!" he extended his hand.

Jin looked to her hurriedly, seeing her hesitancy, Don't… trust… him…

It was almost as though he were heard. Her hands remained in her pockets, and she merely bowed abruptly, "Hello."

He retracted his hand and instead relocated it to her shoulder, which he patted friendily, "Such a respectful young lady… It is nice to see that in today's youth! Unlike some other people I know…"

Out of instinct, Kazama slapped his arm away, his body tensing before, during and after the act, "Don't touch her."

He was surprised by the act. He glared harshly and folded his arms, That Kazama filth dares to step out of line…

Jin looked down, realising what he had done will ultimately cause him punishment later. But he did not apologise for his actions. He remained quiet, clenching both of his fists now, one of which was firmly grasping his schoolbag. The devil within began to mock him gleefully, something he indeed enjoyed doing, Now why did you go and do that?

I don't know.

Athane cleared her throat, unintentionally signalising that she was going to leave before anything here escalated further. She did not the responsibility weighing on her conscious. It was bad enough that she felt intimidated by Heihachi, "I must go now. It was nice meeting you, Mr Mishima. Good luck in your battles…" she turned to Jin, smiling slightly, "Thank you for walking me back. I think I would've ended up on the other side of the island if you hadn't shown up…" This comment had cracked a small, shy smile. She grinned, "Hope Midget doesn't deafen you. Best of luck, and I will see you later."

"You too, Razer," he replied as she walked away.

Mishima is bad medicine.

Well obviously, she walked up the stairs and turned the left corner, hiding there. She wanted to make sure that Jin would be okay.

Didn't your wretched, goody-two-shoes Mother ever teach you not to eavesdrop?

She punched herself in the arm with force, in an attempt to shut-up-that-annoying-devil. She lingered, watching as Jin did everything possible to avoid Heihachi's gaze. And thanks to the devil within's super senses, she could hear what was going on too, even at this distance.

The elder was clearly infuriated, "How dare you hit me."

"You can't handle a slap? How are you going to do in this tournament then?" Jin asked mockingly, looking up.

He went to backhand him. Fortunately, the 19-year-old predicted this and caught the attack. Heihachi grinned, "You've gotten faster…"

The other hand came up from his side and backhanded him anyway, in the face. Razer held her breath and narrowed her eyes. Chills crawled up her spine as the devil within chuckled.

"Unfortunately, you forget that I have two hands!" Heihachi laughed, smirking. He grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him up the stairs, as though he was a young child, "I will make you a Mishima boy… Even if it kills you."

She quickly ran halfway down the corridor, hoping that she had not been seen in their ascent, and began to walk as if she saw nothing in the first place. Her breath was still caught in her throat, and it was unable to escape. She was angered at how Jin had been treated, though shaken up by the sight as well. But one thought continued running through her mind, even as she turned her head and met Jin's eyes through distance, You really are… just like me.