Alright alright okay! We're closing in on some important events! REMEMBER, TWO CHAPTERS LEFT NOW BEFORE I HAVE TO BUMP UP THE RATING FROM T TO M!
I really wanted to put this out since I am on a creative roll! I hope that this is suitable and that those reading enjoy. This one is a long one 3,000+ words so grab a snack and a drink, play a song while you read, do what you gotta do!
As always chapter title inspiration comes from THE PLEDGE song by DIR EN GREY and I listened to it the entire time while writing this chapter. Something about this song that I like a lot and it's one of my favorites from THE MARROW OF A BONE album and most likely one of my all time favorite songs by DIR. I will also warn that there is a bit of cheese at the very end... I couldn't help it so forgive me for it! Enjoy and I'll see you next update!
THE PLEDGE
Kazue returned to the Zaibatsu suite not too long after Hwoarang had left her sitting alone outside the cafe. She was greeted by the usual suits telling her of their grandfather's whereabouts, through clinched teeth gave her thank yous, and went inside.
She shut the door and forcefully removed her shoes before storming through the living room area of the suite - and right past her brother. Jin stood for a moment, confused, but then called out to her asking if something was wrong, but all he got in reply was the door to her quarters slamming shut.
The younger Kazama had never seen his sister act in such a way and it perplexed him watching her behavior. Then it hit him - something must have upset her deeply for her to act so troubled. He quietly made his way to her room and stood silently outside the door long enough to hear the sounds of muffled sobbing. Jin's brows furrowed and it pained him to hear her sobs. Without a second thought, he was gently tapping at her door.
"Kazue, may I come in?" Jin called softly from behind the door.
The gentle knocking caused Kazue to jump slightly, she hadn't realized Jin was there, which made her feel even worse considering she usually greeted him coming in. The young woman took a deep breath as she buried her face in the pillow she had been crying into, trying to work up courage to speak with her brother.
Kazue knew he was concerned. He must've seen the way she entered the suite. Coming to a stand, Kazue quickly went to her bathroom to wash her face and fix her hair before letting the younger sibling into her room.
"Are you... alright?" Jin asked as he entered the older sibling's room. His eyes locked on, scanning her up and down looking for signs of struggle or a fight.
Kazue laughed awkwardly - the tone it carried was one of sadness as she made her way to sit back down on her bed. A deep silence fell over the room as the older sibling debated on telling Jin what happened.
"Kazue... did something happen to you today? I know you were out while Grandfather and I trained. If something happened you need to tell me so I can tell Grandfather." Jin pleaded, the concern for his sister showing through.
An exasperated sigh left Kazue's lips as her shoulders hung low in defeat. The pessimistic thought of Mishima Heihachi defending her, causing a smirk to appear alongside a scoff. The young woman stood so she could face her brother, the expression she wore was one of exhaustion and hurt.
"It's okay Jin. I just saw something that upset me." She replied, telling a white lie, which caused a scowl to appear on her brother's face.
He knew she wasn't telling the truth and that disappointed him. The younger sibling crossed his arms across his broad chest, signifying to the older that he wasn't going anywhere until she told him what truly happened.
Kazue's body language once again showed her exhaustion and unsettled emotional disposition. She gave in to her brother's unspoken request for the truth, thinking of a way to explain it all.
"I... I really don't know what happened." She began, as her facial expression warped into one of pure and complete confusion.
Jin's brow raised in curiosity as she started to explain herself as he walked over to the dresser to brace himself. His ears were open and he was ready to patiently listen to the explanation of her story - no matter how long it took for her to find the words.
"I met up with him today and he was so cold. I don't know why..." The young woman continued, gazing at her brother. Jin's eyes had closed, but his brows were still raised, as if the younger sibling was intrigued and puzzled by the words that left his sister's lips.
"I assume this all hurt your feelings since you like him and whatnot," Jin finally said, his hands coming down to brace the wooden surface of the dresser. A soft grunt slowly erupted from the younger Kazama as he thought about the situation - while his sister still looked troubled and uncertain.
"It doesn't matter anymore I suppose," She mumbled, sitting back down on her bed, hugging herself as she did so.
Jin hated seeing his sister so despondent and defeated, considering how happy she was just days before speaking of Hwoarang while they were at the park together. It didn't help that he had not one clue about how to comfort his sister on the matter either – so he stood silently hoping his presence would console her in some way.
"Jin... Just keep this to yourself okay? Just between us," Kazue requested - her voice back to a broken whisper, that whispering voice hitting back hard the conversation the two had prior about their grandfather.
The younger sibling was sure his elder didn't mean for it to, but it did remind him of what she had spoken to him about, causing a physical and internal wince to cascade over his body.
"I won't speak of it to anyone." He replied softly before sighing making his way to exit the room. He could tell that Kazue wanted some time alone to decompress and relax before their grandfather came home for dinner.
"If you need me I'll be in my room. Just knock alright?" The younger sibling offered, placing his hand on the knob before turning it.
Kazue smiled at Jin, nodding her understanding and acceptance of the offer before he exited, leaving her alone with her thoughts and memories.
-XxX-
Hwoarang sat at a bar with a cool beer in hand as he rotated the sweating bottle, watching the golden liquid swirl and slosh around inside. The Blood Talon wasn't one for deep thought - yet here he was at his favorite watering hole contemplating his actions.
The bar tender cracked jokes about how pensive the red-haired Korean looked - staring down a bottle of his favorite booze, which caused crooked half smiles and low chuckles from the rogue. It was uncomfortable to know that the people around him noticed his behavior, but the nagging sensation in the back of his mind still caused him to withdraw from the festivities around him.
Sang-Yun and Jung-Chul had each left him behind to chat up two flirty and scantily clad women after Hwoarang rejected the advances from their friend – which resulted in her muttering some insult under her breath as she walked away.
"So what's got you so down bud?" The bartender asked, standing behind the counter setting a glass down to dry.
Hwoarang's eyes were still on the green glass bottle as he pulled it to his lips, taking a quick sip before answering the proposed question.
"It's nothing really, except I think I might have made a mistake I will regret at some point down the road." The Blood Talon replied absently, running his supple fingers down the neck of the bottle, causing droplets of water to run down it.
The bartender grunted as he placed his hands on the bar, leaning down so he could be at eye level with the fiery patron of his establishment. He had never seen the Korean youth like this before - let alone hear him utter the words mistake and regret.
"Well the only thing I can tell you to do is try to fix whatever mistake you made. If it can be fixed that is, never hurts to try though." the feedback the bartender offered surprised the fiery rogue but he was appreciative of the advice.
Hwoarang looked at the man - giving a subtle nod of thanks as he went back to doing his job of pouring libations for patrons, and yelling out orders to security to kick out the drunken riff raff. The Blood Talon decided on fixing the mistake, trying to salvage what he might very well have destroyed as he shoved a hand into his pocket to grab his phone.
Coming to a stand, the Korean youth began seeking out a quiet place without any racket so he could have privacy while making his phone call. He found a nice corner in the back with a pool table that was far enough away from the noise, giving him just enough separation to make a call, swiftly flipping through his contacts finding the name he was looking for. Hitting the button, the Blood Talon waited hoping there would be an answer.
One ring, two rings, three rings and Hwoarang was beginning to think the damage was severe enough that there was no hope in fixing anything – but after the fourth ring there came a soft voice, one he was so thankful for that it held its own resounding weight.
"Hello."
"Ka... Kazue? It's Hwoarang." The Blood Talon replied, running his fingers through his hair nervously. He waited for her response, contemplating making his case, but she interrupted him.
"Why are you calling me? I really can't talk right now," came the young woman's voice in a hushed whisper, almost as if she were trying to hide the fact she was on the phone with someone.
This piqued Hwoarang's curiosity and almost re-lit the flames of anger that had finally died down – but the Blood Talon kept his cool. What was important now was trying to fix the friendship the two had.
"I know, I know. Listen uh... You think you have time tomorrow to meet up with me? I... I mean I know how I acted might make you not want to meet up with me, but I really need to," the Korean rogue appealed to the young woman on the other end of the receiver.
"No." Kazue retorted, proving to Hwoarang her emotional wounds were still raw and fresh.
The redhead sighed, searching for the words to articulate how sincere he was, but nothing helped him formulate and verbalize his feelings. After a sort pause, he began stuttering to try to keep her on the line until something came to mind.
"I know, but I'm asking you to come out… please? I really need to say this to you in person I don't want this to be over the phone. I'll feel better if I say it to you in person," he countered, hoping she would be merciful enough to accept.
There was a small moment of silence before a sigh could be heard, and then the whispering voice followed, muttering a confirmation.
"Oh thank god," Hwoarang exhaled with relief, the hand that was in his hair cradling his forehead, "Same place around noon. Is that okay?"
Another soft hum from Kazue agreeing to see the Blood Talon echoed throughout his mind, sending slight pings of hope along with it shooting straight to his chest. He was relieved that she accepted his offer to meet up again, after what had happened. Nevertheless, he really felt the need to set things right, even if he had no clue what caused him to lash out in such a way, or wanted to admit to himself why.
The two exchanged goodbyes and hung up, the rogue making his way back to his deserted bar stool, snatching up his beer taking another swig before discarding it. He caught eye contact with the bartender and nodded to him before leaving.
-XxX-
This time around, it was Hwoarang's turn to sit and wait, which he felt quite deserving of considering everything that had happened prior. He leaned back against the metal seat, legs spread with one foot resting atop a vacant chair – the other tapping rapidly on the concrete bellow, while chewing nervously on a wooden toothpick.
The rogue had no idea how he was going to explain himself, but apologizing seemed like a good place to start off with. Finding the words to even begin to make amends seemed like a daunting task by itself alone - including how vexed and muddled up his own emotions were. All he could do was hope he didn't make things a lot worse.
"Okay. I'm here what is it you'd like to discuss?" Kazue requested cordially, her voice seemed to startle the Korean man before her - not realizing that she had arrived. She decided to remain standing, with her posture straight, her demeanor hadn't relaxed fully since she came directly from a meeting.
Hwoarang looked up at her with wide alarmed eyes; he hadn't even noticed her approaching, let alone heard her approach. She was dressed as if she had just came from her job and didn't have enough time to change into casual attire.
He couldn't help but stare at the black fitted blazer with a white pressed blouse peeking from behind, and the pencil skirt she wore that rested slightly below her knees. The Blood Talon took note of the black heels she wore, the neat yet youthful ponytail her hair was in, and the bag that she held with both hands in front of her.
"I... I didn't see you. Why don't you sit?" The Blood Talon asked, trying his best to be polite but finding his attempt awkward.
Kazue continued to stand, more out of preparation in case things didn't go well. The last thing she wanted was to end up left sitting alone after being rejected, she wanted the luxury of walking away and not being walked away from this time.
"I'm fine. Thank you." She replied, keeping her tone even not giving away anything more than her professionalism.
The Korean youth sighed, giving up on offering her a seat and turning his focus on what he had asked her to come out for. Clearing his throat and fiddling with the toothpick he had been gnawing on absently which was now in his hands – he began formulating what he wanted to say.
"Listen, I'm not good at things like this. I never really have been, and I find it frustrating at times because I'm not..." Hwoarang began, while Kazue listened quietly and intently to his thoughts.
"I know how I acted wasn't... It wasn't okay, alright? I acted like a jackass and I shouldn't have. Thing is Kazue..." The red-haired rogue paused for a moment, trying to get his words in order, searching for the best way to address his feelings.
The Korean tapped his fingers against the surface of the table, debating with himself internally if he really wanted to acknowledge the way he felt.
"Thing is I really find myself fond of you. Take it how you want or don't take it at all, but I like having you around. I like spending time with you." The Blood Talon decided to blurt it out, relinquishing his self-control, yet saying it in a way that didn't actually reveal what was really going on deep within.
Kazue found herself surprised by the Korean's admission and wasn't sure how to let it sink in – even though he had apologized in a roundabout way, it still didn't answer the question of why.
"Why then? Why act the way you did?" She probed in a stern tone, maybe more cold and steely than she meant for it to be.
The Blood Talon sat up straightening his posture while rolling his neck side-to-side, relieving tension that had built up there. He knew she would ask why and it was in her right to do so, but explaining it would be even more uncomfortable than what he just said.
"I saw you at the park. You were with some dark haired guy. You two looked pretty chummy as well. I guess I got... I don't know… agitated seeing you smiling at him," the rogue replied, making sure to turn his gaze away from the Japanese beauty standing before him.
A smile spread across Kazue's face slowly before erupting in laughter. She couldn't believe what the Blood Talon had just said. All she could do was laugh. Hwoarang looked at Kazue with a confused expression, which was slightly starting to turn into anger as she continued.
"Why are you laughing?" He asked, his voice full of displeasure and growing annoyance. He was beginning to regret calling her and arranging this meeting just so she could laugh at him and his confession.
"Because Hwoarang..." She started, trying to calm herself down enough to speak and answer his question, "I was with my brother at the park. The dark haired guy was my brother."
Just like that, the red haired Korean felt the blood run from his face taking his heart with it down to the depths below. He closed his eyes as he mentally shouted at himself about how much of an idiot he was.
The Blood Talon placed his head in his hands as he began chuckling himself more out of sarcastic irony than out of joy or finding the situation funny.
"It's okay you know. I understand. You haven't seen my brother before and it's fine to feel the way you felt," Kazue said, trying to comfort the Korean youth placing a gentle hand on his back. Hwoarang was pleasantly surprised when he felt the weight of her hand resting softly against his back, it almost felt like mellow electricity washing over him with a tame, soothing heat.
"Okay. So now, I know that he's your bother. Makes me feel slightly better." He scoffed, as he leaned back, and Kazue finally took a seat in the chair beside him. She gazed at him with such compassionate eyes it startled the Korean to see how intense it was, but he couldn't stop himself from smiling slightly as they made eye contact.
"You could have just asked me instead of being rude to me, but I understand now, and I forgive you Hwoarang," the young woman's smile brightened happily, realizing it was all a misunderstanding between the two friends.
The Korean rogue nodded his head, grunting slightly before speaking up once again to say something that had been on his mind since their day out at the arcade.
"Kazue, I'm not the honorable type, but if you ever need anything, if you ever need my help or anything of that sort... I'm here for you. Just call me and I'll be there," He spoke, finding it much easier to put into words than anything else he had tried to explain beforehand.
Kazue felt moved by Hwoarang's proposal, to know someone cared for her so strongly that they'd give her assistance, other than her brother, was something that touched her deeply. She could feel her eyes beginning to well up, but quickly blinked the tears away in favor of returning her gratitude with another bright smile.
"Consider it a pledge," Hwoarang continued, returning her smile with a wry grin of his own.
~XxX~