If it is in normal style, then it is speech.
If it is in italics, then it is thought.
If it is in bold, then it is the individual's natural tongue.
If it is underlined, then it is Devil and Angel.
Generally, if it is in italics and has singular quotation marks ( ' ' ) then it is Mental Speech.
Don't own any characters except Razer, Detective Burton and the rest of the gang (excluding Hwoarang).
All other characters belong to Namco.
Chapter Thirty-Eight: Someone Wake Me Up
Miharu's head continued to spin well into the next day. With one leg crossed over the other, she stared down at her coke, idly spinning the straw in the glass with one finger, watching the liquid swirl as well. Her white mittens were next to it, proving to be more of an annoying feature in grasping earlier, than a helping one.
"Why are you sorry…?" She inquired.
"I…" The words he was going to say died in the back of his throat. He breathed in harshly and tried again, only to fail. With a frustrated sigh, he put one hand on his hip, and had his other hand's fingers run through his hair. He bit his lip, wondering how to say what he was trying to say.
For some reason, she thought she already knew.
"…and I'm thinking, maybe if I do my hair up…"
"Man, I've never been good with stuff like this."
Miharu smiled a little, still waiting. She watched as his gaze went everywhere but to her, still trying to piece the sentence together. His eyebrows were furrowed, and his sienna eyes bore nothing but sadness. She touched his arm gently, and let it slide down until her hand was holding his.
Hwoarang watched that display and smiled whole-heartedly, squeezing her hand lightly. It was funny to see three emotions on his face at once – frustration, sadness, and happiness. He took a deep breath in and spoke quietly, now looking at his shoes with strong apprehension, "I think… you should find someone else."
"…fingernails too, and wear this dress, it'll look great!"
She chuckled a little, still looking at him forlornly, though he was not looking back, "You're breaking up with me."
"I'm sorry, Mi. I really am. I just… can't do this."
"It's okay, you doof. I came to do the same thing," She remarked, lacing their fingers together, "I watched you look after Raze over the last couple of weeks… And it was made apparent to me that although you do care about me, you can't tear yourself away from her. From your dream. I don't want to keep you from your dream. And if your dream is her, then go for it. I'll be behind you one hundred percent. But don't let her get away from you this time, alright?"
The Blood Talon smiled again and nodded, letting to of her hand. He gently pulled her into a hug, and was hugged in return.
"I really thought… that I could make this work."
"So did I…"
She closed her eyes and sighed, holding him tighter, taking in his warmth and the feel of his arms around her.
"Miharu, wake up!"
She jumped a little in her seat when her hair was viciously tugged at. The Japanese girl winced and put a hand to the roots, patting them to relieve the ache. She furrowed her thin eyebrows and looked to her left, where Xiaoyu sat, arms folded across her chest, looking cross, "What?"
"You didn't listen to a word I said!" she cried, exasperated. She stuck out her bottom lip in a teasing pout and continued, "How could you?! Without your input, I'm never going to be anything but 'cute' to every damn male within a hundred metre radius!"
"Radius? Xiao, you've been paying attention in Maths! I'm proud."
"Stop trying to change the subject from something pleasant to something horrible."
"Literature as well!"
Ling grinned. Soon enough though, it faded away when Hirano looked at her coke dejectedly once more. She rested her folded arms on the table, shivering a little when her skin came into contact with the cold surface, and spoke firmly, "Alright Mi, something's up. Come. Tell your best friend what's on your mind. It'll make you feel better, I promise."
So she told the Chinese fighter everything there was to tell, and by the end she was fighting back the tears forming in her eyes. There was no use pretending that she wasn't upset about it, and there was no use in pretending that he wasn't upset about it either. When she looked away from the coke (that had finally been touched) and to her friend, there was a mixture of anger and sadness on her visage.
"The little… He left you for another woman," Xiaoyu growled.
She shrugged, taking another sip of her coke, "It was bound to happen. We both tried to make it work, and it just didn't end up happening, that's all. Stuff like this happens every day Xiao, and while I'm hurt, I'll build a bridge and get over it. So will he. And besides, I was tired of being second best. I thought I could wait forever… but… I can't."
"I'm not good enough for you."
"You know what you should do?" she crowed happily, standing up, grabbing her shopping bags. Her voice shattered that little hearbroken sentence from her head. She could no longer hear Hwoarang whisper that to her. Now, all she could hear was Ling's hyperactive screeching, "Any photos you have of you and him, you should burn them up. He's not worthy to be in your awesome photo album."
Hirano shook her head and smiled, her voice laced with light laughter, "You're silly, you know that?"
"Always! Come on, let's go back to the hotel. I need to dump all this crap in my room and help Jin train for the finals."
His heel collided with the top of the punching bag, and slid down the object thereafter. Furrowing his eyebrows, he kicked it once more, with the other foot, the top of his shoe sending the item flying into the air, only to be brought back down due to the chain. Before it had the chance to come all the way down, he slammed his fists into it through his Double Chamber Punch attack.
Jin's concentration was broken when he saw his opponent enter the gym, stretching his arms behind his head. Such an action had caused the shirt of his dobuk to rise, and judging by the face he was making, it must've felt uncomfortable. That, or Seong-Hada's chatting was frustrating him. He was slightly surprised by the absence of Razer, but nonetheless, knew that she would probably arrive with Baek some time soon.
Hwoarang looked around for a corner to train. When his eyes landed on Kazama, they narrowed dangerously. The younger Korean noticed this, and pushed his Gang Leader along, but not without shooting a friendly smile and wave at him. Kazama returned it lightly, before focusing his attention back on the punching bag before him.
The devil within chuckled heartily, Oh, does he want to murder you. Highly amusing.
He groaned and slammed his right fist into the object before him, then his left, Leave me be, monster.
The only monster here is you, Jin Kazama. And don't you forget it!
He squeezed his eyes shut and continued to attack the punching bag with force. None of his attacks missed the target, despite the fact that he could not see it, You torment me day in and day out. My defences grow weaker and weaker against you. It is only a matter of time before I crack once more, and this time I may not be able to compose myself. Can you not leave me time to mend and face you in a better battle later…?
In case you have not noticed, fool, I am a demon. I will take the best opportunities I can get… this being one of them.
He groaned in frustration and slammed his foot into the punching bag angrily, teeth grinding over the tops of one another. The force of the attack sent the item in a little flying spin, before coming back, wanting revenge on the human. Instead of that though, another attack came its way, and another and another. Fist and foot prints were left in the formation of the object.
The relentless chain eventually ceased when he walked away, going to grab a drink of water. The liquid was cool and refreshing sliding down his throat. He cleared his bag off the seat, placing it by his feet on the floor, and sat, resting his elbows on his knees, taking deep breaths in and out. He had been training for a while, and was tired.
Loud creaking got his attention. Jin lifted his head, looking towards the entrance, and saw both the teacher and his other student, carrying in some equipment, primarily boards. Razer's face was blank, like he remembered it when they first met in the streets. However, now knowing her, it appeared that she was most probably thinking. Baek behind her didn't notice, and was chatting away.
He noticed her pace slow a little and her eyes widen slightly when she spotted Hwoarang. Kazama wondered for a long moment why she had suddenly acted in such a manner, and tried to think nothing of it. His curiosity, combined with the devil within's though, saw to it that he continued to think on it.
A happy Korean greeting spread forth from the other corner of the gym, presumably from Seong-Hada. The 21-year-old smiled a little, standing. Since he had first seen the youngest of them, there was something about his personality that cheered him up, like Xiaoyu managed to do so many times throughout his life. There was just a general happy vibe around him that picked up the spirits of those around him as well, however far away from the source they may be. Through the darkest times, that young man can still keep a smile on his face.
Baek dumped the equipment on the floor and looked up to his oldest student with a crooked grin, "Board work."
Hwoarang squealed like a little child, muttering 'yes' a thousand times under his breath in hyperactive joy. Board work. Breaking boards with his hands and feet. His childhood favourite method of training. He hadn't broken proper training boards in ages, and just seeing his teacher and best friend enter with a lot of them indicated to him that he was going to have a very fun time.
He jumped up, followed his mentor away from the corner, and started going through the usual stretches. This left Razer and Seong-Hada alone. The Greek came and sat beside her young friend, "Thanks. For last night."
The 19-year-old had seen their little exchange, along with Baek, and quickly decided between themselves to talk to one of them each. Knowing that Doo San could handle Hwoarang much better than he ever could, SH tended to the girl who had fallen to her knees and wrapped her arms around herself, muttering things that he couldn't quite hear.
He had taken her arm and picked her up and off the ground, talking to her softly about things that wouldn't remind her of what had happened only a few moments ago. He didn't quite understand why it had made her so upset, but it was eventually explained at the ice cream store many, many minutes later. It was the underlying meaning that had shattered her.
"He wants to be with me, and I him," she had murmured, "that kiss solidified it and reminded us. But… we can't. He's with Miharu and doesn't want to hurt her. It is unreasonable to drop someone like her for someone like me. And I… still carry very strong feelings for Jin, and he is aware of that too. He doesn't want to put me in an uncomfortable position, amongst other things, but the thing is, I don't know what I want. I don't think he even knows that.
"The underlying meaning though… Seong-Hada, so long have we looked at one another and then look away. You've watched it yourself. And when we look back, we couldn't speak our feelings because we're either looking at another, or are with someone else. It's like a continuous game, and we're both sick of playing it… He knows how I feel now, and I him, because we finally spoke… It's just… the ball keeps eluding us."
"It's technically in his court now," Seong-Hada had replied, taking another lick from his ice cream, "I mean, think about it. You're up for grabs, and he's kinda going 'oh my God what the fuck bbq what do I do what do I do what do I do' while holding onto Miharu's arm, to fulfil a promise he apparently made at the last tourney. So he's up with a choice – go for the girl he's wanted for so damn long, or see what he can do with this sweet Japanese girl. It's his decision. Hold onto Miharu, or jump at you. The ball is in his court. Simple. Let him play the game."
A soft voice stirred him, "Hey…?"
Drifting back from the memories, the Korean patted his friend's head childishly with a smile, "Any time, Raze."
The moments that had passed by were a lot longer than either realised. Baek called out for a third time, "Hey! Wake up you two!"
Both jumped a little and looked back at them, seeing Doo San and Hwoarang looking back, the latter more with a slight day-dreaming state. Razer straightened up and cleared her throat, trying tried to maintain a blank face, "Yes, Baek?"
"I need you two to help me with the board work. Just grab a couple and hold them out in a line for Hwoarang to kick. Make sure you're spaced out, and watch your fingers."
The two younger people noticed their fellow student rub his hands together evilly in anticipation, still a hyperactive ball. Eventually, Hwoarang stopped such imitating actions and began to roll his shoulders, hoping to relieve any built up tension. He didn't sleep very well, and woke up in quite an unusual position, with half his upper body falling out of the bed painfully.
He woke from his thoughts when Doo San instructed him to perform his spinning kicks down the line, until the three boards being held out facing him were destroyed. With a stiff bow, he slid into stance, and began the attacks quickly, all three boards snapping to three different roundhouse kicks. Once he satisfyingly heard the halves hit the wooden floor, he slipped out of his stance and looked over his shoulder, noticing SH violently shake his right hand, which was the hand that previously held the board.
"Can't you watch where you kick?!" Seong-Hada growled, upset, trying to shake the ache from his hand.
The Blood Talon laughed, "I'm sorry."
"Set them for axe kicks," Baek remarked, the boards now flatly facing the ceiling.
The 21-year-old went through the new boards again, a little slower than last time because threre weren't as much momentum in these kicks compared to the roundhouse kicks. Now back at the other end of the line, he pulled his left leg up and behind him with his hand, stretching the knee that was beginning to ache slightly. Damn Kazuya and his match against him in the 4th Tournament…
Forty-five minutes went by before Doo San allowed his student to go for a break. With a respective bow, he tottered over towards the seats, where his two friends had been sitting before hand, and raided his bag for his drink and towel. He found the both of them, and drank some water whilst wiping the sweat off of him at the same time.
While Baek was preoccupied with answering SH's questions, Razer tentatively followed Hwoarang with feather light footsteps. She stopped when he did, and remained standing quietly, obvlivious to the quick glances derived from the other two. It was when this Korean spoke to her directly did she realise that he had known all along, "What's up with you?"
"Just… drifting from here to there."
"Then wake up. You're acting like a robot."
"It is hard to."
"Well, maybe you just need someone to wake you up."
She quirked an eyebrow at her best friend as he span around, "What do you mean?"
"Dunno. Was supposed to be a come back, but its underlying and endless perverted intention obviously didn't click in your head," he shrugged and sat down, clearing his bag so she could sit next to him. He leant forward, arms resting on his legs, and took another gulp of precious, precious water.
It took her a moment to register it, and in response, she shoved him, "Asshole."
He smiled, closing up the bottle, and placed it back in the bag, along with the towel, "That's news to you?"
Athane shook her head and looked down at her hands, which were clasped toegher and placed in her lap. She stood up straight and pressed her feet together, barely seeing them below the flow of the white dress. The air between them was still tense, and both were unsure of how to break the uncomfortable silence.
"I'm sorry about last night," Hwoarang murmured, leaning back against the wall, hands behind his head.
"Don't be."
"But –"
"Shut up," she hissed at him uncharacteristically, fidgeting in her seat, "What's happened has happened."
Perplexed and surprised, he blinked several times, cautiously speaking, "Is something else wrong?"
"…Dreams again."
He remained silent, now leaning forward instead of back, and still looking at her with concern.
"I'm… I'm scared. This is occurring too frequently for it to be 'just a dream' anymore. The details are too vivid. They are too realistic. Like a prediction. I don't know what is going on but… I do not like it… I can hear screaming. Angry yelling. Crying. Whimpering. But I still can't see anything…"
The Blood Talon gently spoke, "Try not to think on it. They're not gonna do you any good."
I think they're telling you something, the corrupt angel within sounded firmly, It would be wise to take heed of the dreams, because sooner or later you may find yourself in that compromising situation.
Razer was a little stunned by the help and the previous silence of the entity. Since the 'treatment' she had been withering away into the background, and her nastiness had slowly plummeted. If she strained to listen, it was almost as though the thing's voice had changed as well. It was not as spiteful, and almost kind. Perhaps the corrupt angel was not corrupt anymore. She wanted to see Raven about it, and soon.
Waking from her thoughts, the 20-year-old looked back at him, "It is hard not to when I hear a man crying out in attack, and the roar of flames and the swipe of claws. I can hear most things, except for names, and I can't exactly distinguish between the voices yet, aside from my own… but… I cannot see what happens, aside from the things I have described to you earlier, like blood, the ground, and so on. I just wish to know why I am I blinded... I want to see. I want someone to wake me up in that dream, or clear my vision, so I can see. I want to see. I cannot walk around blinded anymore."
They sat there in silence, trying to think of something else to say to either shed light on the situation or close the topic. Both came up with no ideas, but were given a distraction when loud, young girls entered the gym, waking everyone from their private thoughts, conversations and so on.
Xiaoyu and Miharu.
The former of the two young girls waved erratically at whoever was at the other side of the gym, also in the back corner. She sprinted over in a hurried rush, her school uniform moving in the speed, oblivious to the murderous glares given to her by some other participants (such as Marduk and Paul) and the laughter of her Japanese buddy.
As the auburn-haired youth followed the Chinese martial artist, she looked around the place curiously, her eyes wandering over various other competitors. They eventually settled on the pair in the corner, and with a wide, wide smile, she waved enthusiastically at her ex-boyfriend, who was in the company of his best friend. The smile only widened when he returned the grin and wave.
"Why don't you go over to your girlfriend?" Razer pressed, a tad curious as to why he didn't move, like other times.
"We're… not together anymore," He replied, now looking at his feet and leaning back once more.
"Oh… When did that happen?"
"Last night. She had come to me to break us up, and I had the same intentions. We both kinda agreed that we gave it our best shot and had some fun, but decided it'd be best to stay as friends. It was mutual and we're both okay."
Athane nodded shortly, twisting the dress in her hand. The fact that he mentioned that she had come to do the same thing indicated to her that Hirano didn't know about what happened last night, which saved her and the Korean beside her a lot of trouble, explanations, slaps and bitch fights. That fact in itself had the unhappy emotions in her stomach untwist a little.
"So, uh… I was wondering…" Hwoarang began nervously, looking at her, "Maybe you'd wanna…?"
Be. With. Me. Now.
He mentally yelled at himself in anxiety. The words had sounded so strong and firm in his head, and when they came out of his mouth, they just crumbled. He couldn't even finish the sentence. The measly. Fucking. Sentence. That he had constructed from scratch over the last few hours, few months, few years. He couldn't even finish, and he felt slightly sickened by it.
The Blood Talon bounced his leg tenaciously, clearly edgy about her response. His fingers tightly gripped the wooden bench, almost turning white because of the strength. He tried to calm himself by reminding himself that irregardless of the answer, they'd still be best friends with an endless amount of love for each other. And in the end, that was all that truly mattered. He had nothing to lose here.
Automatically jumping to the negative response due to her silence, he spoke quietly, "Its okay. I understa –"
"I don't know what I want, Hwo," she replied, "I thought it was obvious to you."
He noticed the strain in her response and said nothing, waiting for her to continue talking, if there was more to come.
Razer timidly placed her right hand over his left one and attempted to explain the chaos going on in her mind, "I… do… want to be with you. Know that. I just… feel like… When I look at you, it feels like I'm betraying Jin. And when I look at Jin, it feels like I'm betraying you. Like I have an obligation to you. To both of you, and I just end up feeling so guilty… It is a very uncomfortable situation to be in. I do not know if you felt it too when you were with Miharu, but… it is difficult. One minute I feel like throwing myself at one of you, but then there's a voice in the back of my head reminding me of how much I love the other, and why, and I remember everything the guy in question and I have been through, and then I just…"
A squeeze to her hand stopped her from nearly incoherent rambling. Athane looked at their hands and sighed in frustration. The Korean spoke, still watching her intently and caringly through his sienna eyes, "It must be confusing for you."
Storm Wind nodded lightly and looked at him, trying to smile through the uncertainty.
Hwoarang leant back a little and lifted his head up, thinking, "Hmm… Well… I don't really know what to say for advice right now. I can't exactly think of anything on the spot. I'm not that awesome…" The joke had the smile spread a little, he noticed, looking back at her, "I guess… Just… As cheesy as it sounds, do what your heart tells you. Like I'm about to."
With the warning out in the air, the 21-year-old leant forward and kissed her firmly, for a much shorter time than last night's spontaneous action. And just for those tiny seconds, those few precious seconds, she responded kindly; smiling into it, stroking his hand with her thumb demurely. He pulled away thereafter, grinning back, before patting her hand with his other free one.
"Get that nice body back to toning up," Athane remarked teasingly.
He answered immediately, standing up, walking away from her backwards, "Yes Miss 'I-Have-Great-Tits'."
She shot him an irate and dangerous glare and covered aforementioned area with both her arms, inwardly smiling at his laughter; and watched as he span around and lumbered back towards the other two Koreans, much happier and calmer than he had been before going on his break. Once he was out of sight, she dropped her arms and stood up too, going out into the open a little more.
Curious as to where Xiaoyu and Miharu (and now Asuka as well) were going to, she peered towards the other corner, and smiled uncontrollably, seeing Jin. He looked troubled, but he was trying to smile, and that meant a lot to her. She inwardly and silently thanked the three girls for being there and keeping him in a stable and happy-ish state, because she was sure that despite her attempts, he wouldn't accept her comfort.
There is only one way to find out. Why don't you go over? I doubt it would hurt, and I am sure he wants to know how you are since your fight with him. He did see you come in, you know, and is contemplating going over to see you. He is just very, very wary of Hwo at the moment. Go on, go say hi, if only to acknowledge his presence.
The Greek took to the entity's idea to heart and walked over, hands behind her back, unaware of Hwoarang watching her go with a light smile. She breathed in and out at a firm and even pace, trying to not get so nervous. The steps soon began to catch up on her, and she was eventually standing nearby.
His cousin poked him a couple of times on his shoulder in rapid succession, and then pointed over his shoulder. Asuka's face was a mixture of worry and surprise, though which emotion was higher, the hybrid martial artist didn't know. Xiao and Mi waved at her when they eventually noticed. She stopped walking, about four or five steps away from the group, and smiled when looked over his shoulder and turned around wholly, clearly surprised by her presence.
"Hi Jin."
"Hello…"
There was more silence. It was thick in the air and intimidating to all four fighters. Everyone was unsure of what was going to transpire. Most of all, though, Ling and Hirano, who had known the two for the longest, were crossing their fingers behind their back, privately praying that they'd both wake up to themselves and get over their whole 'demon this, angel that, I have to stay away from you so you'll be okay' crap that had been going on for far too long.
"Nice dress," Kazama remarked eventually, grinning, adding mentally, 'It looks gorgeous.'
She stuck her tongue out at him childishly, inwardly spinning in bliss.
Finally, their bridge had mended.
Author's Note: The end is coming. Three more chapters. And I warn you now, the next chapter has EXACTLY ten thousand words (it's over nine thousaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand again XD, and it took three days o.o lawl). And so you know what you're in for, here is a preview of the monster chapter thirty-nine: "Pain Redefined". -grins-
She could feel the corrupt angel within begin to panic, as indicated by her trembling body and the constant nagging in the back of her mind to turn around and get the hell out. But no. Not this time. She wouldn't, she couldn't, and she refused.
Turn back. Don't do this to me Raze, turn back! Turn back!!
…
Xiaoyu furrowed her eyebrows, looking at her bubblegum pink phone, along with Miharu and Seong-Hada, in complete and utter confusion, "Locked down? What do you mean it's locked down? We can't get back in? What's going on over there?"
…
Their fists clenched reflexively, both ready to go. After so long, their rematch had finally arrived.
"Final round of the King Of Iron Fist Tournament 5. Number 15 v.s. number 23. 3, 2, 1, FIGHT!"
…
"I will be able to fight. I can help them. And I highly doubt that an angel will let the weakness hold me."
The man's eyebrows furrowed. She made a good point. That could be possible.
"Please… Help me help them. Help me stop what you know will destroy them!"
…
"He's coming, he's coming. I can smell him, oh God oh God oh God…"
Meet your maker, boy.
…
Seong-Hada phased out, not hearing the three women debate amongst themselves in regards to what Hwoarang's mysterious rambling was about. He slowly inched his head down until he was looking at the phone in his hand, seeing the most recent call on his list gaze up at him in return. He breathed in, bit his lip and stared up at the dark sky worriedly.
…
Spinning High Kick.
A 'shame' that you will die…
Spinning Flare Kick.
…and I…
Corpse Thrust.
…will live.
…
There before her, pain had been redefined.
"NO!!!"