MHJ: My apologies for the lateness! This past week, I've been super busy and then I got really sick for the past few days. I finally sweat my fever out yesterday and all that's left is a really sore throat, but that's good enough for me to write! :D I'm afraid there's not much fluff though since it's an epilogue for the whole story and not just for Jiayi and Cheng. Hopefully you guys enjoy it anyways! :)
Previously...
"So," Cheng said, grinning at Jiayi. It felt nice being able to hold her hand again. "We both lost the tournament. I think we could both use some cheering up. Shall we go out for dinner?"
Jiayi grinned back. "I think the entire gang deserves some cheering up. We put Feng through this torture before; think it's our turn to have the gang tag along on our date?"
"We better catch up with them before they leave then," Cheng chuckled.
Hands locked together tightly, they laughed and started weaving through the crowd toward their friends.
The gang reacted as they thought they would—happy and enthusiastic and glad that everything had returned to normal at last. After exchanging their things for a few hundred yuan from their parents, they threw their arms around each other as they walked down the sidewalk in search of a restaurant.
As they walked and chatted and laughed, Cheng smiled.
He had finally figured out the roles of the gang.
Feng and Xiang were the older brothers, always keeping a watchful eye out for the others. Zhuang was the middle child, eager to tease his brothers and sister to no end. Qing was the hyper little brother they all looked out for. Jiayi and Liang were the twins, practically able to read each other's minds.
Cheng had been the only one without a role—until that moment, when he realized that he was Jiayi's complement. While he tended to cage his feelings in, she allowed hers to soar free. While he was easily angered, easily downhearted, she looked for the bright side of things, smiling through the tough times if not for herself then for those around her. While he relied on straightforward intimidation and brute strength, she excelled in her quick tongue and ability to dance circles around others.
One could say they differed like night and day, like salt and pepper, like black and white—but the truth of the matter was that they belonged together like a needle and thread, like pen and paper, like thunder and lightning. Together, they made a whole.
After all, it was said that love was just one soul in two bodies.
Epilogue
It hardly ceased to astound Dre how quickly things could change.
Qing. Liang. Zhuang. Feng. Xiang. Jiayi. Cheng.
A mere month ago, those seven names made his blood run cold, struck raw fear in his mind, sent a string of curses running through his head. Never in his wildest imagination would he have expected that the people he used to fear and hate would become some of his closest friends.
"Do you want to go out for dinner tonight?" Meiying asked as she and Dre stepped out into the courtyard.
Dre shook his head apologetically. "Sorry, but Mr. Han will be training me and the gang tonight. The new master at the Fighting Dragon's letting Mr. Han teach us in her dojo once every week."
Rather than looking disappointed, Meiying smiled. "I'm so glad you guys are all getting along."
"Me too," Dre laughed. "Your friend, Chunhua, was right; they actually aren't that bad. I like them."
"I still don't quite approve of them," Meiying said, pursing her lips disapprovingly. "But whatever. Have fun then. I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Yeah, seeya," Dre said, waving as Meiying ran off towards her father's car.
Once she was gone, he turned towards the tree the gang usually collected under. Walking towards it, he caught sight of Qing and Liang already sprawled out beneath it.
"Hey Dre!" Qing called, waving enthusiastically.
Dre grinned and waved back. "Sup guys."
"Feng, Zhuang, and Xiang won't be meeting us today," Liang informed him. "They have big project. But they'll be at kung fu."
"Alright," Dre said, nodding and taking a seat beside the two. "Jiayi and Cheng aren't here yet?"
Qing and Liang exchanged evil grins.
"Maybe they're—" Qing began devilishly.
"—kissing in the hall," Liang finished, snickering.
Dre, already used to the gang's habit of teasing those in relationships—namely Feng, Cheng, and Jiayi—just rolled his eyes. "Right—hey, I see them!"
Qing and Liang followed Dre's pointed finger to see Jiayi racing towards them, holding a rolled up piece of paper in her hand. A wide grin was on her face and an angry, red-faced Cheng chased after her.
"Guys!" she cried as she reached them. With a flourish, she unrolled the paper, exhibiting a quiz with a bold eighty written in bright red. "Look at Cheng's score!"
At that moment, Cheng caught up and snatched the paper back, scowling heavily as Qing and Liang burst out laughing.
"Eighty?" Qing howled.
Liang jabbed a finger in Cheng's direction. "Master Kong is not going to be pleased."
Whenever Dre was in their midst, the gang always tried to communicate with only English. That way, Dre could understand and the gang could practice their foreign language skills. There were times, however, that the gang simply forgot and reverted back to their native tongue.
"Yeah, Master Kong doesn't tolerate academic deficiency, mister," Jiayi teased, tauntingly wagging a finger disapprovingly in Cheng's face.
"She doesn't need to know about my academic deficiency," Cheng growled. "Besides, it's all your fault I got this grade anyway!"
"My fault? How so?"
"You kept distracting me while I was trying to study, you sorry excuse of a best friend!"
"Oh? I seem to recall that you were quite eager to stop studying in order to hang out with me."
"Ooh," Qing cut in, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. "What were you two doing?"
The two in question rolled their eyes simultaneously, chorusing, "Nothing like that, you moron."
Liang, one of the best in the group at English, quickly translated for Dre, who tried to stifle his amusement.
"So what's it going to take for you to keep your mouth shut about my test?" Cheng growled, glaring at Jiayi.
She tapped her chin thoughtfully, a smug smirk on her lips. "Hmm...You can treat the entire gang to a restaurant of my choice."
Qing grinned. "That's a good one, Jiayi."
Cheng bit his lip, eye twitching slightly, before he sighed. "Fine."
Dre arched a brow after Liang translated the last bit for him. "Why're you so worried about your master finding out about your test, Cheng? I thought Master Li's replacement was nice."
The four of them stared at Dre.
"You're joking, right?" Liang said slowly.
Qing and Jiayi exploded. "Master Kong is the most amazing person in the world!"
Even Cheng just shook his head, sighing.
"Master Kong is crazy beautiful," Jiayi continued, her eyes sparkling as she spoke of her master. "She's gorgeous and she's the first ever female master at the Fighting Dragon! She's small and skinny like me too, but she's even stronger than Master Li!"
"And she's really, really nice!" Qing added, eyes sparkling as well. "She never hits or yells at me like Master Li. And there's no more 'no mercy' crap!"
"Also," Liang cut in. "Before and after class, she's always willing to talk with the students. I've heard her give advice to people before about almost anything! She even helped me with my homework once."
"Okay, so," Dre cut in before anyone else could continue. If anything, he looked even more confused than he did before. "As great as Master Kong is, why exactly is Cheng so worried about her finding out about his test?"
"Master Kong wants her students to be good and diligent in everything they do," Liang said.
Jiayi nodded. "That includes school. She expects us to be good students and get good grades."
Dre blinked. "...So? What's she going to do to Cheng? You said she doesn't hit or yell at people."
This time, Cheng answered. Crossing his arms and scowling, he said, "Master Kong is the nicest kung fu master the Fighting Dragon has ever had. Everyone loves her—"
"More like adores her!" Qing and Jiayi bellowed indignantly.
"Some more so than others obviously," Cheng said, wincing at his friends' volume. "Anyways, we all like her so much that we just don't want to disappoint her."
Dre blinked owlishly again. Then, he promptly burst out laughing. "Wow. I can't believe I ever thought you guys were tough bad-ass bullies. You all sure are soft on the inside."
"Aren't you kids going home?" Master Kong asked later that day. She had just packed up her own things and found her seven favorite students lingering in the dojo. Before any of them could answer, realization flashed in Master Kong's dark brown eyes. "Oh, right, Master Han is coming today, right?"
"I let the kids call me Mr. Han," an old voice said from the doorway. They all turned to see Dre walking in with Mr. Han hobbling behind him.
Master Kong smiled. "You're a kung fu master. Shouldn't they be referring to you with a little more respect than that?"
At that, Jiayi, Qing, and—surprisingly—Zhuang gasped loudly.
"If you want, we could address him as Master!"
"We can call him Master if you want us to!
"It's not our fault; we're just used to calling him Mr. Han!"
Their yells blended together incoherently, but Master Kong seemed to get the gist of it. She laughed. "Relax, you three, I'm just teasing."
With that, she turned to Mr. Han. Before anyone could question what she was doing, she brought her hands together in respect and bowed. "Just for old times sake, Master."
Everyone except Dre gaped.
Mr. Han smiled and returned the gesture. "You always were my best student."
Master Kong grinned and left for the door, pausing only to send her favorite students a wave good-bye. The second she was gone, Qing pounced on Mr. Han.
"What did you mean by 'student'?" he demanded.
Feng stared at Mr. Han like a blind man seeing the sun for the first time. "You...you didn't...did you train Master Kong?"
Mr. Han smiled fondly. "I did. It was years ago. Before the, ah, car accident." Without further explanation, the old man turned and went to get some supplies while the gang turned to each other in confusion.
"What car accident is he talking about?" they murmured to each other.
Jiayi and Cheng turned to Dre and explained the recent events in English.
"What car accident is he talking about?" Jiayi asked curiously.
Dre sighed wearily. "It's a long story."
MHJ: Yeah, I know, kind of disappointing after all this time, right? :/ Hahaa sorry, I'm just kind of eager to move onto my next project. It's been fun writing this and reading all of your reviews! Thank you for reading Always There! ^_^ Love you all~