Disclaimer: I don't own Tekken.

A/Note: I thank all the people who read this so far and the ones who reviewed. Thank you.

Dedicated to: teeju, xTxNxLx, Krappkarmin, Dilu, Janny, jc-1225, The One and Only Birdie, xfantasygirlx, xXxAozora no NamidaxXx, heaven-monument, pagoda girl, Dynasty021, Red White Rose, MooNTeARZ, henred5, xianghua 4 kilik 4ever. And everyone who read this. Minna-san wa sugoi desu.

Chapter 21 – Decisions

-'Holy crap! What the hell was that? Was Fox in there?'-Paul insisted.

Miharu didn't answer again, she was in shock. Five minutes ago she was talking to Steve and now his lifeless body was probably in the bottom of that huge pile of rocks and ashes.

-'Do you think we should be here when the rescue team arrives?'-Paul asked examining his bike.

-'No. They'll ask too many questions.'-Steve showed up behind them. Miharu almost fainted because she thought he was a ghost.

-'I thought you were dead.'-Miharu complained. But after that she hugged Steve who quickly pushed her away.

-'We better go back.'-he warned.

Steve dragged Miharu to his car and Paul followed them in his bike.

-'What the hell were you thinking Steve?'-Miharu asked. Now that she had the confirmation he wasn't a ghost, she was feeling more and more upset. After all, Steve could have blown up the entire east region of Kyoto.

-'I had to make sure that place was buried forever.'-he explained.

-'You could have died…and you could have kill me, Paul and more people.'

-'I knew what I was doing.'

-'Are you sure?'

-'Absolutely.'

-'So what are you going to do now? Run away from what you did?'

-'Yes…You were the one telling me to forget about that place and my past…'

-'I didn't tell you to blow up a building!'

-'It was ABANDONED.'

-'You can't blow up things just because you want to forget! Besides you're in Kyoto…people live here.'

-'I know that. You know what? If you keep on accusing me of terrorism I'm going to stop the car and leave you on the road.'

-'And if you keep on telling me that it's my fault you blew that old factory up I'm going to the police.'

-'You wouldn't…I'm your boss remember? You do what I say.'

-'You're not my boss anymore…jackass. I resigned so I can do what I want.'-Miharu smiled and crossed her arms. Steve stopped the car suddenly and Paul almost crashed on the back of the car.

-'What the hell! Don't stop like that!'-Paul yelled.

-'Sorry…'-Steve apologised and started the car again.

-'When did you resign?'-he asked surprised.

-'Two days ago. Lori is going to replace me.'

-'Are you crazy? You need to go back…'

-'Why? You resigned too.'

-'I resigned because I knew you would stay. Now I'm feeling sorry for Stan and guilty for abandoning him in a time like this.'

-'I'm not going back just for you to feel better with your conscience. You should return to London after the tournament and help Stan; after all he's like a second father to you.'

-'No way. I can't stand businesses anymore. I'm sick of meetings, appointments and all that crap. I want to do something else with my life.'

-'First you need to accept what you've done and explain the police that you didn't mean to destroy LabTech. I'm sure they'll understand.'

-'But I did mean it.'

-'Stop being an idiot, Steve! You're getting on my nerves.'

-'Fine…I accept I went too far. I shouldn't have provoked such a huge explosion. Actually I should have used a timer bomb instead of gas.'

Miharu gave Steve a cold look because she knew he was trying to save his own ass if she decided to tell the police he was involved in that explosion.

-'You're a jerk…Hwoarang was right.'

-'For God's sake…No one died! I didn't even kill a fly…'

-'You don't know that.'

-'So what? Why are you so upset? The stupid factory was abandoned, no one was there. It exploded, everyone is fine, we all survived…end of story.'

-'You need to be more responsible.'

-'Fine…I'll work on that starting tomorrow. Happy now?'

-'No…'

-'Don't lecture me…I'm sick of it and I'm only trying to do what you want.'

-'And what's that exactly?'

-'Move on with my life. Forget that I was an experimental project. Forget that Nina Williams is my mother…and be grateful that I had a normal childhood and an excellent education.'

-'Well…I guess you should do that. But no more stunts like this, ok?'

-'Fine.'

When they finally arrived to the hotel Paul warned Steve that they would have to fight in less than an hour. Paul wasn't happy to know that Steve hadn't slept in the last 24 hours because that meant his opponent would be in a pretty bad shape. Steve, on the other side wasn't too worried about it. He wasn't quitting because he knew Paul wouldn't allow that, but that fight didn't mean anything anymore.

So when they were fighting Paul managed to control all of Steve's attacks and it wasn't too hard to win. Steve wasn't motivated enough and Miharu knew why. He had already achieved his aim which was to learn the truth about his past and put it all behind. Since he didn't need the prize money, Steve wasn't too sad when Paul was declared the winner.

After the match, Steve prepared himself to "crash" on his bed and sleep as much as he wanted. Miharu joined her friends and explained that everything was fine now.

She couldn't escape being inquired by Julia who knew they had something to do with that afternoon explosion in east Kyoto, but Miharu didn't tell her all the details.

The next morning Steve woke up starving but he decided to take a shower before having his breakfast.

He was already dressing up when someone knocked on his door.

-'Don't you think you're overreacting…I mean I don't need you watching over me all the time, you're not my mother.'-he said opening the door.

Nina Williams was standing there with her arms crossed and her blue eyes stuck on him. For the very first time they were face to face.

-'I'm sorry…I thought you were Miharu…'-Steve apologised without knowing what more to stay. He knew Nina was a cold and distant person and he didn't have any clue about what she could possibly want from him so early in the morning.

-'That explosion…it was you, right?'-she asked.

-'Humm…maybe…'

-'It's all over the news…Why did you do it?'

-'Because it bothered me.'

-'Nice work. I should've done it myself many years ago.'

-'Why didn't you?'

-'I don't know. I never had the chance.'

-'Well…now it's over. What they did to us…we can finally forget about it.'

-'Some of my memories are still vague, so I won't be able to forget everything until I get all my memories back. Anyway…I have to go.'

-'Wait!'

-'What?'

-'Why did you try to kill me in the last tournament?'

-'I was ordered to. That's what I do…I follow orders.'

-'Do you like to live like this? Killing people?'

-'I'm good at it.'

-'You didn't kill me though…'

-'I had no reason to kill you after Wulong caught the Syndicate.'

-'Miharu told me you helped saving my life…'

-'Actually…I was ordered to kill you but they didn't pay me enough.'

-'So you ignored their orders?'

-'Yes, I ignored their orders because there are other things you can't ignore.'

-'Such as?'

-'Such as our situation.'

-'It's awkward, isn't it? I mean…we look like each other and yet you look more like my sister or my cousin.'

-'You have a mum and a dad in London…they took good care of you. As far as I'm concerned we're just blood related…that fact that we share the same DNA doesn't mean we have to play happy families.'

-'I know that. So…I guess there won't be Birthday parties or Christmas Eve for us, huh?'

-'I guess not. But…when we meet again I won't pretend that I don't know you and we can actually have a conversation. I mean after all we're both fighters, aren't we?'

-'Yeah…we are. I guess this is the best way to solve this…problem.'

-'Indeed. I see you around Steve…'

-'Yeah, sure.'

An hour later it was an enthusiastic Steve who explained Miharu how his first talk with Nina Williams had given him a new perspective of his life. Miharu didn't understand much about it but it was obvious that for Steve, the fact that Nina had spoken to him face to face had been crucial. He was definitely more relaxed and even happier.

-'If I really want to put everything right I have to talk to someone.'-he announced watching Eddie and Christie entering the bar.

-'Who?'-Miharu asked.

-'I'll be right back.'

Steve approached Christie when she was alone in a table, waiting for Eddie. She was surprised to see him there. They hadn't spoken for a long time. It wasn't easy for Steve either. So far Christie had been the only girl he had fought for. His longest relationship with a woman had been with Christie and he didn't know if he had forgiven her for using him. Even so he had to apologise to her.

-'Hey…so you finally found Eddie.'-he said.

-'Strange way to start a conversation. Why are you here Steve? Last tournament you humiliated me in front of…'

-'I know and I'm sorry for that. I'm not proud of it.'-he cut her off.

Christie was shocked. Steve had always been proud of his ego and now, all of a sudden, he was apologising for what he had said to her in the previous tournament.

It hadn't been nice to watch. He made her look like a heartless bitch and Christie swore she would never speak to him again. But that approach had made her change her mind. Maybe he had changed after all.

-'So…you came to apologise?'-she asked almost as if she wasn't sure yet.

-'Yes. I think it's time to let it all go. I'm glad you found Eddie and I hope he treats you well…as for me, I just want us to be friends again.'

-'I guess I can't ignore you forever. Besides it's not all your fault. I said bad things to you too.'

-'So we're good?'

-'Yeah…sure.'

That worked out better than he thought. After the last tournament's scene, Steve thought the only way Christie would ever want to see his face was in a coffin, but fortunately she was more reasonable than him.

After joining Miharu, Steve had another surprise.

-'It's time for you to make new friends, Steve.'-Miharu announced with a smile.

-'What do you mean?'

-'Come on…my friends are waiting for us.'

Xiaoyu was exactly like Miharu had described: friendly, hyperactive and cute. Jin was just a normal guy; at least that was what Steve was thinking before Miharu tell him about his family "issue". Julia was a mystery because she didn't look like a fighter at all. She was a typical A-student. Steve could understand why the others were entering the tournament, but Julia? Why was she there?

As for Hwoarang he was nothing like Miharu had described. Actually Steve had sparred with him once (he didn't actually want to spar but Hwoarang insisted besides he had called him a coward, so he had to accept) and he had the feeling that he was just a "bad boy" wannabe with an attitude problem.

Before they all meet, Miharu had told him: "Jin is quiet and strong. He might seem cold, distant and anti-social, but in fact he has a good heart. Xiao is my best friend, she's always happy and she loves to make new friends. Julia is intelligent and responsible. Hwoarang is…well sometimes he's nice and sometimes I want to kill him. He hates Jin and that's why he's always provoking him."

Although his first impression of his "new" friends wasn't the best, Steve decided to give them a chance. In the end things turned out better than he thought. The girls were fine and he also managed to establish with Jin a mutual friendship since they were both mature enough and had the same opinion about the Mishima's family (more like: death to all the Mishimas!). But Steve was especially surprised to see that Hwoarang was a good guy to hang around with although it had its inconveniences.

First: Hwoarang was always looking for troubles and usually he was successful in finding them so hanging around with him was never boring. Second: they both liked pretty much the same things: sports, martial arts, cars, girls, watching TV, sleeping, eating and last but not least drinking...a lot. Third: it was funny to see Hwoarang provoking Jin, especially when the girls were around because the scene always ended in screaming, yelling and sometimes deadly threats. Those moments made him realise how lucky he was having a peaceful and quite life in London.

-'You sucked yesterday…I mean I would kick Phoenix's ass in less than five minutes.'-Hwoarang said.

-'Well…don't be so sure about your strength, because who haven't won this yet.'- Steve retaliated.

-'But I will…this year I'll win the tournament.'

-'Who are you going to fight against tomorrow?'-Julia asked.

-'Some idiot named Lee.'

-'Jin's uncle?'-Xiao inquired.-'Be careful he is sly…'

-'Don't worry…I'll show him.'

-'Are you going to see Hwoarang's match tomorrow?'-Julia asked Miharu and Steve.

-'Sure.'-he immediately said.-'I wouldn't miss it…'

Since Steve had, more than once, expressed his intention to stay in Kyoto until the final match, Miharu decided that once they were alone she would have to tell him about her own plans, which didn't include to stay there. Therefore, after dinner, when he took her to her rooms, she told him.

-'I'm leaving tomorrow after lunch.'

-'So soon? Why?'

-'I'm going to visit my parents in Tokyo.'

-'Can't you wait until the tournament is over?'

-'I'm not interested in the tournament anymore.'

-'But now things are getting exciting.'

-'I know but I made up my mind, besides there's nothing left for me here.'

Steve crossed his arms and looked directly at her. It was time to know why she was always worrying about the others and never worried about her own happiness.

-'John told me you had trusting problems because someone hurt you really bad…I know that either was Jin or Hwoarang…which one?'

Miharu didn't look at him.

-'I don't want to talk about it.'

-'But you have to. You told me to face my past…now I'm asking you to do the same thing. You really need to move on.'

-'That's what I'm trying to do. You don't imagine how hard it was for me to come here.'

-'Do you still love him?'

-'I don't think so…but it's not that simple.'

-'Yes it is. Actually is that simple.'

-'I'm really happy for my friends but I don't think I'm ready to try yet.'

-'What do you mean?'

-'I mean that last year I was completely devastated and I don't feel that way anymore. My job here is over and now I'm finally going to do something for myself before thinking about love again.'

-'What are you going to do?'

-'I'm going to travel…travel around the world. That's exactly what I need right now.'

Back in his room, Steve was thinking that Miharu was overreacting. Forgetting about an old love was certainly painful but she didn't have to runaway although in her opinion she wasn't running away, she was just going on a self discovery journey to put her mind in order.

In the end Steve knew he wouldn't be able to stop her from going but he had to thank her for everything she had done. His life had definitely changed after he met her. Thanks to her he was able to talk to Nina and he didn't care about being born in a laboratory anymore.

The next day, when Miharu told her friends she was leaving everyone was surprised, except Steve who already knew. Xiaoyu tried to persuade her to stay in vein.

-'It's not that I don't care about you guys…'-Miharu said feeling a bit guilty.-'But I really need to go.'

-'But it's only three days.'-Xiaoyu tried again.

-'But I already called my parents, they're expecting me.'

-'You're cruel Mi…we didn't see each other for a long time and now it feels like you're trying to runaway from us.'

-'I'm not. Honest!'

-'Xiao, it's her decision, not ours.'-Jin calmly said. Miharu smiled thanking him for being on her side.

-'Where are you going after the tournament?'-Miharu asked.

-'We're going to China. Jinrei offered us a place.'-Jin explained.-'He wants to train Xiao for the next tournament.'

-'What about you guys?'-Miharu asked Julia.

-'I'm going home for two months because my finals are coming. After that I'm going to meet Hwoarang in Seoul.'

-'I'll be travelling so I might go and visit you someday.'-Miharu announced.

-'Are you going alone?'-Xiao asked.

-'Yes.'

-'Why don't you wait three days and then ask Steve to go with you?'-Xiao inquired in a whisper.

-'Because I have to do this alone. That's the purpose on going on a self discovery journey.'-Miharu answered.-'Besides Steve has other things to do.'

After lunch, Miharu wished everyone good luck and left to the train station. Steve went too.

-'I'm glad that I chose you as my assistant.'-he started.-'You helped us all. Stan, me…even Lori and Sam.'

-'They didn't like me much, did they?'

-'Come on…Stan loved you.'

-'I'm not talking about Stan.'

-'I know. It's my fault…I shouldn't have offered them a job since they were my ex-girlfriends.'

-'Are you going to London after the tournament?'

-'Yes. But I'm re-starting my boxing career again.'

-'Good…I'm happy for you.'

-'I…need to tell you something Miharu…'

-'What?'

-'Well I want to thank you for what you did. I mean we weren't exactly close friends and sometimes I acted like an idiot. Even so you came to Japan and helped me a lot. So…thanks.'

-'It's good to know that I didn't come for nothing.'

-'I also want to tell you that when you come back I'll be waiting for you at the airport.'

-'What?'

-'When you come back from your journey you better be ready to give me a chance, ok?'

Miharu nodded and got in the train that was about to leave. A few seconds later the platform was almost deserted. All the passengers were on board and Steve was the only one still watching the train.

A voice inside his head kept asking the same question while he was waving Miharu goodbye.

"Do you really think it will work out between the two of you? She's different from the others you know?"

But a second voice said lauder "I want to try…This time it will be different!"

The End

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