Ninth chapter! I'm sort of impressed with myself, you know, except the fact it took me years (literally years!) to get here!
This chapter is mostly warm-up for the next and FINAL chapter! Please R&R, it really does make it easier to keep writing!
Everything belongs to Namco!
Chapter 9: Breaking and Entering
"Xiaoyu!" Julia exclaimed at the same time I said: "Julia?!"
"What – what are you doing here?" Her eyes flickered from me, to Forest, to Mi, and back to me, before she slightly closed the door, hiding behind it. "How do you know where I live?"
"I didn't... I mean." I was to shocked to actually say a whole sentence. This made no sense. It couldn't, could it?
Luckily Forest spoke up. "Is Hwo here? We've been looking for him everywhere."
Julia's face told me everything I needed to know. That sort of mix between guilt and nervousness, a bit coy even. She stood her ground halfway hidden behind the door though, and was obviously reluctant to let us enter, or to even answer the question.
"Damn it, Julia!" I hissed and stepped closer. "We're worried sick. If he's here, tell me now, or so help me..."
Julia cut me short, stepping slightly outside, but shutting the door even more. "Okay, okay! Calm down, will you? Firecracker..." Thought I sorta liked my new nick-name, there was no time for it. "He's here, but he doesn't want to be found. He came here because he figured it would be the last place on earth you'd look." I got the feeling that by `you` she meant me.
"He just needed a break. He's fine, so just..."
I didn't let her finish. I pushed past her and entered the small apartment. She let out a surprised gasp, and tried desperately to block my way, but to no use. Determination was my guide and I would reach my goal. (Again, very poetic, right? I really should look into this author thing!)
"Hwo, I know you're in here!"
The apartment was small, and despite the run-down look on the outside, Julia had made her home look warm and nice. The small hallway was painted in a bright orange with dark, wooden furniture and led into a combined kitchen and living room. There, in an old, purple sofa, sat Hwoarang. To say that he was shocked to see me, was the understatement of the year. His jaw went slack, and his eyes wide.
"It's so good to see you!" I exclaimed. "I thought you were dead! I just kept imagining you being beaten by thugs and gang-members! And I was really worried, and so was Forest and Mi, and... and..."
I stopped myself. The look on his face had changed sometime during my rambling, and his face was now annoyed, even hard and cold.
"Why are you here, Xiaoyu?" He rarely used my full name, and it somehow annoyed me.
"What do you mean?" I could feel tears in my eyes. It was clear that he was not happy to see me, that he was rather pissed off, actually. When people hide and refuse to pick up their phone, I guess they don't want to be found (correction: I know it!), but it was somewhat unfair of him to at least not have made contact with Forest. After all they were bffs, right? (Though just yesterday morning I also believed Hwo and I were bffs, so...) And all three of us had been really worried! We had also biked all the way down to this hell-hole of a... I'm digressing! Back to the point, if I can find it. By now Julia, Forest and Miharu had followed us into the living room and gathered in the doorway, looking awkwardly at their feet.
"I really think you should leave, Xiao." Hwo stood up, and rubbed his eyes, a small sigh escaped him. "Go back to your lover-boy."
Suddenly all sadness was wiped away, and replaced by this boiling anger. "What the hell is your problem?!" I was probably entertaining the entire neighbourhood. I was screaming my lunges out. So mad was I. Nothing could stop me now, the words just kept coming. I was mad at him for running away, for getting us to worry, I was mad because he hadn't picked up his phone, I was mad because he had kept secrets for me all this time. And so I kept yelling all those things, widely gesticulating with my arms. I was so mad, so utterly and completely gone in my rage that I didn't notice Hwo approaching me until he had me in his strong arms, in the biggest and most heartfelt hug I had ever got (not taking Panda into account).
Being completely bipolar, as I had been the last few, well... minutes, I started tearing up again. The whole time Hwo just held me, none of us noticing our three uncomfortable spectators.
...
A little while later, and everything had calmed down considerably. I'm not gonna tell you all the boring details about what happened after, because that is really not what this story is about, so I'll just tell it in short, or shortened really...
Hwo apologised, which was a first, to all of us. He told me, in private, that he really had wanted to avoid me for as long as possible, but he also made a joke about me being way to stubborn for my own good, and that he should have known better than to try something so stupid. I, of course, agreed. The mood turned for the better after that.
I didn't bring up what he had said not to long ago, and neither did he. We, all five of us, sat chatting for a little while before deciding to order a pizza. The situation was absurd! I was sitting in Julia's apartment, eating pizza, talking about our boring history teacher and our overly peppy gym teacher, just like it was something we did on a regular basis! Had someone told me only hours before that I would have an actually friendly conversation with Julia Chang, I probably would have suggested that they had a brain tumour, or maybe was completely and utterly insane!
But hey, what do ya know? She had been friendly towards me when I was lying at the infirmary, but I blamed that on my trauma and not really remembering it the way it happened. Like, oh I don't know; suppressed memories or something.
Turned out though, she wasn't as bad as I had always thought. We somehow ended up alone in the kitchen, cleaning up after we had eaten. Out of the blue she said: "I'm really sorry... About the way I've treated you... I know you probably don't believe me, but I am, truly!"
"I believe you." I can honestly say that the words just sort of popped out. I had no control of them what-so-ever.
She continued explaining how she had always envied me, having a nice and solid family, good friends, and not to mention Hwo's attention in more than just friendship. It all seemed rather absurd, crazy even! I mean: ridiculously hot and beautiful Julia, jealous of awkward, little me? Come on! In what universe does that happen? As it turned out; in this!
Julia told me that her parents were abroad most of the time, and that she considered the apartment hers, as she was the only one to ever use it. She continued with telling me that she had been in love with Hwo for a very long time. He had never truly bothered with her, and so she had let her frustration out on me. She admitted that it had been rather childish of her, but hey, she's just seventeen. Teenagers ain't supposed to have all the answers, bro! So don't go blamin' us! (I guess staying in a bad neighbourhood turned me into a real gangstah! Time to get a pinstriped suit, a fedora and a cigar, or something. Or wait, that's the Mafia. Doh!)
Something had changed that day I fainted in front of the whole school, though, and she had seen him wandering the streets. She had offered him a place to hide, and, to put it this way: two birds, one stone! He was getting over me, and she was getting what she had wanted all this time. Epic, right?! (*insert huge grin here*)
So, in short, Julia and I "kissed" (I know you wish we had actually kissed, admit it!) and made up, and all those years of disliking/hating each other were gone. Weird, huh? But that's how it went. I'm not really good at holding grudges anyway.
My entire confusion about Hwo was over as well. He was my friend, and no matter how much it had hurt me, and him, that I could not feel the same way for him, I understood now that my friend was the only thing he could ever be. I also understood that my heart did belong to Jin, and when finally all the drama with Hwo was dealt with and I had made sure he was safe, I was really starting to worry about my-most-likely-boyfriend-if-I-ever-saw-him-again-and-could-explain-everything (I say that because we never really labelled our "thing", though in my head he was my boyfriend, I just didn't want to say it out loud in case I sounded to clingy or something.)
I voiced my worry a short while later to Miharu, after sneaking into the bathroom to try call Jin again (I also had like a million missed calls from my parents, but for now I ignored them). He hadn't answered, and I was starting to panic.
Hwo looked at me for a second, looking like he was considering something. "I was at his place yesterday."
"What?"
He sighted, seemingly embarrassed. "After everything that happened in school yesterday, I wanted to confront him, or beat him to a pulp, I was so mad. So I followed him as he drove home, and then I knocked on the gates. I think I stood knocking for ten minutes or so, and finally someone opened. It was this young, skinny, tall guy, with white hair and a purple suit!"
At this point we all stared at each other. Who the hell has white hair at a young age, and tops it off with a purple (purple!) suit? As I would find out much later Lee Chaolan, Heihachi Mishima's adopted son, was that someone, and surprisingly he really did manage to pull of the look!
After the slight pause, Hwo continued. "He told me that there was no one named Jin Kazama living there. When I said that I knew he did, the purple guy told me that had just moved away. I don't know how Jin managed to move in less than fifteen minutes, but what do I know?"
"Something has happened to him," my voice was little more than a whisper. "Something bad. Mi, I have to know what is going on."
For once, Miharu seemed to agree. "We're going over there. It's good that you're safe, Hwo, but we gotta go now."
"I'm coming with you."
All I could do was to stare at Hwo in shock. He actually volunteered to help with something that had to do with Jin? I must have entered an alternate universe when I fainted the day before, there was absolutely no other explanation.
"Don't look at me like that!" He ruffled my hair. "You're my bff, right? And you really like this Jin kid, so I'm going to help you!"
"And so am I." Julia had placed her hands on her hips, and had a small grin on her face. If I was a lesbian, I would've kissed here right there and then. (wow! That is the second time I mention kissing Julia, maybe I do have a lesbian crush on her? Hmmmm... No, I think I'm straight.)
Forest shook his head. "This sounds like some sort of death-mission, so I guess you need someone smart to help you out."
Julia turned towards him. "You know someone like that we can bring?"
Forest's face was priceless, and the rest of us nearly laughed our asses of! Julia really did fit right into our little group of misfits.
After we were done laughing at Forest's expense, we left Julia's apartment and entered the now much darker street. Julia got her bike out of a small shed next to the building. Hwo and Julia shared a bike, and so did Mi and Forest. I was on my own, and couldn't help but feel a bang of jealousy. And embarrassment, we looked like some kids from a sappy commercial or a 90's teen series, away on some mission, our bikes the trusty steeds! So yeah, we looked stupid!
Most of the ride to the other side of town was done in silence, none of us really knowing what was going on, and most of them probably thinking I was overreacting, or that Jin simply tried to avoid me, much like Hwo. I knew in my gut though, that Jin was not, and that something really was wrong. That there had been something wrong that day I sat underneath the window. Something had happened to him, and I was determined to help him.
Had I known what I know now, I probably would have called the police. Lei Wulong perhaps, the family friend who also was a cop, remember? But I didn't know what was going to happen, and … well, you'll just have to read to find out.
After what seemed like forever, we finally neared the Mishima mansion. To our surprise guards stood outside the main gate, machine guns draped over their shoulders, and hard expressions on their faces. There was no getting in there.
We moved to the back gate, but also here stood guards. There was no way we would ever get in now. Something was most definitely wrong!
I sighted. "What should we do?"
Hwo thought for a second before stepping of the bike completely. "I think I have an idea, but you might not like it." he looked at us in turn. "The only way we're getting in is to go over the fence." We all turned and looked at the `fence`, more like `massive wall of doom`! It had to be 3 or so meters high, and if the gates were this guarded, probability would be that there were more guards inside.
"It's to high for everyone to climb, but two of us might get over, with the help of the other three. I vote Xiao and me, since we're the best in close combat, should the need for it be there."
This should of course have been where one of us had the brain celles to say that this was a bad idea. We were actually preparing for close combat, with what was probably trained guards, with machine guns! But, like I've mentioned before; teenagers = stupidity! We actually thought we could take on the world, and live to tell the tale.
Julia looked offended for a second. "I can handle myself better than most, Hwo, you know that!"
He smiled warmly at her. "Yes, but I also know that this has little to do with you, and if there's something fishy going on there, I need someone smart to bring the news to the police, in case we don't come out."
Miharu looked like she was about to say exactly was she thought of what he had just said, but was interrupted as someone shouted at the other end of the `wall of doom`. There was a loud crash and even more shouts. If we had ever been in doubt about something weird going on inside, we no longer were.
Without much more chit-chat, we ran to the wall, Julia getting up onto Forest's shoulders. Miharu helped Hwo up first and then me. I don't really know how they didn't fall over under Hwo's weigh, but I blame it on adrenaline.
As I landed on my ass on the other side, luckily concealed by a few bushed, I could see what had happened. Part of the wall facing us was completely smashed, a big hole gaping at us, giving us clear view into what had probably been some training area of some sort. Most of the room was ruined, scorch marks and splintered wood randomly spread across the wall and floors. In the middle of the hole stood a man, his back to us. A few guards examined the damage, but somehow they seemed utterly unimportant beside this man. He looked extremely well built, muscular and broad shouldered. He wore some sort of traditional fighting clothes, and had grey hair styled in the weirdest way. This had to be the man himself, it had to be Heihachi Mishima.
I almost let out a hiss, but Hwo's hand covered mine before I could even breath.
"Did you manage to sedate him?" we could hear Heihachi demand of the nearest guard, who visibly shook as the older man looked directly at him. The guard said something in a llow voice, and Heihachi seemed pleased. "Keep him that way. I wouldn't want my grandson to leave so soon."
I was ready to scream again, to throw myself at Heihachi Mishima and tear out his throat.
Luckily, Hwo grabbed me and kept me still. He motioned for me to be quiet and pointed over to our left. Not even ten meters away stood a guard. He seemed anxious, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
As quietly as he possibly could, Hwo, one his hands and feet, crawled closer. He looked around, but this guard was the only one around, the others were probably looking for whatever had done this, or inside the house. Suddenly Hwo grabbed the guard, pulled him into the bushes, and held him fast until the poor guy fainted. He was quickly revealed of his clothes, which Hwo put on. After a few more minutes, another guard passed and he was also grabbed, pulled into the bushes, and after a short time, lay only in his underwear.
Now, fully dressed a guards, Hwo and I walked casually out of the bushes. Nobody saw us, or else they might have started asking questions. (I mean, wouldn't you, if two people suddenly came crawling out of a bush? And again, get your filthy mind out of the damned gutter! I know you by now!)
Since everything after was all a blur I will explain it as I remember. Whether or not it is true, only Hwo can tell you, but he usually tries to avoid all questions related to him doing something illegal, which this was. (see the name of this chapter folk; we actually were breaking and entering!)
We slipped inside the house unnoticed, walked aimlessly around the enormous mansion for what seemed like forever, trying our best not to draw attention to ourselves. Everyone else seemed to calm down after whatever had happened. We also noticed that a lot of guards were coming up from what seemed like the basement. After another eternity of absolutely nothing, we decided that this was the place to look. We had not seen Heihachi in a good while, and hoped that he had grown bored of all the guards and noise, and gone to bed for the night. (HA!)
I also decided to break on of my main rules of how not to die horribly. The rule is: "Nr 9: Do not enter dark, unknown basements. Under ANY circumstances." (Oh well, here goes nothing, and I'm probably going to die. (And I did, and I am now speaking to you from the grave! OooOOooh! Just kidding!)).
At the end of the stairs was a long corridor, and at the end of it was a door. As we walked closer we saw that it was reinforced and securely locked. Luckily, our soldier friends who so kindly had lend us their uniforms just so happened to wear a set of keys. (Such luck, right? Things like this simply does not happen in real life!) Slowly, Hwo unlocked and opened the heavy-set doors and we walked inside.
What we entered did not look much like anything you would have in a basement. It looked more like a dojo, or a gym of some sort, bigger and more spectacular than the one we had seen blown to bits upstairs. Shiny wooden floor and red and golden walls decorated in the most beautiful way, high raised celling and a gloomy feel to it all. At the very end of this long room I saw it.
I saw Jin!
...
Whatever will happen next? Stay tuned. Next chapter is the last ;) Again: R&R! Pretty please with sugar on top :3 Hugs to all of you who already did!
