A/N: I wrote this story some time ago, but I haven't posted it until now, because I had problems with the translation. It's a very hard work, to translate something into other language, believe me. So, now when the story is here, I hope you'll get to like it. I would really like to know what you think of it, it would help me with my writing, so please criticize as much as you want..
Special thanx to Chandavatika and Black Phoenix for answering my Stupid Question (I seriously didn't know....) and to Marta, for support.
Tekken belongs to Namco
Life is not easy. It never were and it never will. If life has no goal to achieve, it will never change. But finding a goal in routine and ongoing days, one after another, is not easy at all. You can have everything; you can live in a magnificent mansion, go to the best school or practise in the best equipped gyms under the sight of the best instructors. But it doesn't change anything if you don't have someone to talk to, someone you can tell even your deepest secrets. If nothing changes, you can go insane.
That were the conclusions Ling Xiaoyu, age 18, had come to while standing in the corner of a great ball-room, where a starting party of the Fourth Iron Fist Tournament had been taking place. She was wearing a beautiful, straight white dress, held by thin shoulder straps, reaching her feet. Her daily hair-style was now replaced from two pigtails into a fantastic bun with wisps of hair stcking out. A delicate make-up emphasized her Asian looks. She looked wonderful, at least that was what Heihachi Mishima had told her officialy welcoming her in the Tournament, as well as other fighters when greeting her. Xiaoyu thanked everyone with a charming smile, but pretending that she was having a great time didn't help at all. She came here hoping to fill the strange emptiness in her heart, but instead right here all of her hopes have dissolved like in the mist.
Everyone were at the ball. Everyone except one. Jin Kazama. Her best friend and her hidden love.
She was so sure that he would be here. She haven't seen him for two years and this was supposed to be the moment when he would finally be back. But he wasn't there and Xiaoyu was now completely confused. So she observed the familiar faces and it slowly came to her that in reality she had nothing else to do in here. She didn't see herself talking to anyone of the fighters, even if some of them looked quite friendly, like that new girl, Christie Monteiro. Her old friend Julia Chang was on the other hand too concerned talking to Hwoarang. Xiaoyu had no intention of interrupting them, as they seemed so happy, but as she kept looking at them it reminded her of Jin and herself talking to each other. Even though it was a happy thought, she felt sadness. She decided to go to her room and end this day, hoping tomorrow would bring something good. The Fourth Tournament had started, after all.
She came up to the large door and for the last time turned her eyes at the hall. Everyone was having a great time. No one noticed she left the party.
* * *
She stepped into the dark room, turning round to close the door. She sighed while reaching for the switch and turned the lights on. The same room, in which she has been living for about two years appeared in front of her eyes. No changes. But what did she expect, in fact? That he would be waiting here for her? She was a fool if she touhgt that way. Yet the feeeling in her heart made her believe that when she will open her eyes, she will see him standing right before her. But it was just a feeeling and no matter how hard she tried, it never happened.
She took off her uncomfortable high-heels she couldn't stand wearing, but which she unfortunately had to wear. It was a relief for her to set her feet free from that terrible tight shoes. She came up to the bathroom enjoying the touch of a soft carpet, where she washed off her make-up and wet her face with fresh water. She then buried it in a towel and held it there a little bit longer than it was necessarry, trying to forget about everything for at least a moment. With a heavy sigh she returned to her room reaching for the zipper at the back of her dress, when she saw something lying on her bed. Something she couldn't have left there herself. It was an envelope. She slowly took it in her hands. The blood in her veins begun to flow faster and a shiver run down her spine. Inside was a note, written with a familiar handwriting, saying „I'm here". Her first tought was that he was in her room, so she turned her head round looking for him, but there wasn't anybody. She looked at the note again, suspiciously inspecting it as if she was afraid that her mind was playing a trick on her. But everything was real. Jin Kazama had been in her room and left her a note. Xiaoyu's heart started to beat faster. She had to find him.
Having left the note on the bed she came up to the door. Her gaze felt on her high-heels as she was bare-foot, but quickly turned to the door handle. He couldn't have been dowstairs at the ball, otherwise she would have seen him, so she decided to go to his old room first. She was so anxious to see him. She opened the door, made a step forward but suddenly was stopped by someone's silhouette. Before she had a chance to rose her head and see who it was, she was seized by her wrist and dragged back into the room. Only there she recognized the culprit. It was Jin Kazama.
„Jin!" she yelled. „What are you doing?!"
He closed the door and turned his face into her direction. He had changed. Very much. And it wasn't because of the changes in his look; he became even more handsome with longer hair and pale face, but it was his eyes that were different. They were shining with some mystic and unknown to her glare, and yet were so gorgeus that she could melt in them for all eternity. She begun to feel strange warmth inside her body she hadn't felt for a long time.
„I came to see you," he answered with a smile.
Something hit him inside when he saw her. God, she was so beautiful, he thought. He had kept her image in his mind for those two years, but never suspected she would grow so beautiful. Her slender face, her deep and lovely eyes, her sweet and soft lips. He couldn't take his eyes of her. Her hair was glittering in the light. She looked wonderful in this dress. He was so astonished that he barely noticed the change in the look of her face.
„You came to see me?" she asked, rising the tone of her voice. „Jin, where have you been? Why didn't you tell me anything? Do you know how worried I was? How could you just leave like this?"
The moment after she said this she realized her mistake. It wasn't the thing she wanted to tell him after all that time. Many times she imagined the way she would reunite with him, but none of them considered shouting. But imagination was one thing and reality completely other. She couldn't hold her feelings when he stood like that in front of her. But then, seeing the expression on his face she wished she had never said that. Jin looked surprised but deep inside he knew she was right. He wanted to hold her and tell her so many things, explain to her everything and be there always for her, but instead he just came closer and gave her a friendly hug.
„Hey...," he started. „I'm sorry."
„It's just that I missed you so much."
„I know. I missed you too."
They stood like there for a little while, enjoying the happy moment of being close. They didn't say anything in order not to spoil it, for they both have been secretly dreaming about it, but then Xiaoyu asked quietly: „What happened?"
He gazed at the floor thinking about the answer. He couldn't yet tell her why he left. It wasn't the right time. He sighed heavily.
„I had to think about some things."
She set free from his embrace and looked straight into his eyes. She knew him too well to know that he was hiding something from her. By the look of his face she realized it must have been something serious and obviously he didn't want her to know what. She somehowfelt that it would be better not to ask him about it. Not now. She smiled.
„I'm glad you're here."
„Yeah, me too." he smiled back.
* * *
They both sat on her bed; Jin leaned against the wall with one leg sticking out of the edge, Xiaoyu opposite to him with her arms around her legs. They talked and laughed as if they had never parted and that was enough to make them feel happy again after two years. He didn't talk much, though. He just told her that he had been to Australia where he practised. Xiaoyu didn't ask him about the reasons of his leaving, she knew there would be time for that. She was glad he was with her and they could talk. So she told him about her life, her school and progress in trainings. It made her feel truly happy to see that he was really interested in what she was saying. It meant much to her to be able to tell him everything. She missed their conversations. And now, seeing the smile on his face, even if he had that mysterious sadness in his eyes, she knew that he cared for her. That time spent with him filled the empitness in her heart.
Jin just listened. He wanted to know everything about her life during these years he wasn't with her. The sound of her voice and her sweet smile made him forget about the painfull truth that lay inside his body. He was watching her all time, trying to remember every detail of her new appearance. She was so different from the old Xiaoyu, but it was still her, the girl who made his heart beat faster everytime she was near. He still had this feeling but just didn't know how to tell her about it. Everything about him was changing when it came to that one particular girl, who smiled at him in the way that he melted inside, and telling her his true feelings was harder than the hardest of fights. But these two years of separation made him understand how much she meant to him and he made the decision. That was the real reason why he came to her first. He could wait no longer.
„You know what I missed the most?" he asked, looking deep into her eyes.
„What?" She noticed the sudden change of the topic.
He hesitated with his answer, keeping his eyes on her.
„Your smile," he said slowly.
That was something that made her pulse a little bit faster. She gave him a shy look, waiting impatiently for what he had to say.
„That sweet smile which always made everything shine. When you smiled that way it seemed to me as if you tried to make the world a better place." He stopped for a while to see the expression on her face and was relieved to see she was giving him all her attention „But you don't seem to smile like that anymore."
She felt it. And she understood everything. The way he moved, the way he looked at her, the way he opened his mouth, everything told her that it was this moment. The one and only she had been dreaming about for such a long time. She only prayed he wasn't too scared to tell her and suddenly didn't change his mind. She was scared a little as well, but this was what she wanted the most in the whole world and she didn't want to lose it.
She kept looking at him. The corners of her lips had slowly lifted.
„Maybe it's because I had no one to smile at".
She couldn't take her gaze of his face. The only thing she could think of was how deep his eyes were when he looked at her. She was hypnotized by their expression, and could hardly feel her heart beating franticaly. She watched him, and he looked as if all of his dreams have just come true. He moved closer and Xiaoyu almost forgot how to breathe when she found his face right in front of hers. The thing he did after wasn't a surprise, but indeed a dream came true.
„You do now...," he said, closing his eyes, and he touched her soft lips with his own, giving her his first true kiss. A kiss so short and delicate she could barely feel it, yet so strong that he needn't say anything anymore. It made her body tremble when a warm senstation run down her body, but it was the sweetest feeling she had ever felt. She looked at Jin and saw he was even more frightened, but the look of his eyes told her how much he wanted it. She reacted after a while, lifting her hand and delicately grazing his cheek. He closed his eyes, enjoying her soft touch on his skin, almost burning inside. She then adjusted her position to be even closer to him, still keeping her hand on his face, and kissed him back, putting all of her feelings in that one gesture. They looked at each other, feeling their unsteady breaths on their faces and knowing everything they needed to know to be truly happy. Their eyes expressed how much they loved each other and how much they wanted to be together. Their lips met again in long and passionate kisses and they forgot about the whole world. Because they were the whole world to each other from then on.
* * *
It was the happiest and the most beautiful time of their lives. They just lay close each other, holding their hands, talking about millions of things, laughing and kissing. At first they were shy, because this kind of closeness was a completely new expierence for both of them. But they liked it even more. Their kisses became more passionate each new moment, but they didn't go any further than that, for they knew they didn't really needed anything more. This night was perfect as they could just look into each others' eyes, seeing all the love they had for each other, knowing it was the greatest feeling in the world.
* * *
„There is something you're not telling me, isn't it?" asked Xiaoyu in one moment. Her head was resting on his chest and she could hear his heart beating for her. Jin didn't say anything, his hand just stopped combing trough her loosened hair. It couldn't have been something she would have not notice.
„It's not like I'm asking you to tell me if you don't want to, but I just hope that one day you will tell me what's troubling you." She rose her head and looked into his eyes. „I know that," she said quietly.
She had changed so much, he thought, looking at her. He never expected she knew him that well. And it made him love her even more. But he couldn't yet tell her the truth. He didn't want to lie to her, he would never do such a thing, but he was too afraid to put her in danger. It would have killed him if something had happened to her. Or maybe he was just too scared of her reaction, so he just gave her a weak smile, and his eyes expressed all the love he felt for her. He knew she would understand, but the feeling that he couldn't be truly honest still hurt him inside. He wasn't wrong about her reaction, though. Xiaoyu returned the smile, making Jin realize that the only life he could ever have was with her by his side.
* * *
The rays of the morning sun threaded their way trough the covered curtains and gently landed on Jin's face. The bright light fell on his closed eye-lids, cousing the last remains of sleep to disappear. He opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was her. Her face was brightened by the morning sun and she whole seemed to shine. She was still asleep, and she looked so beautiful that he just watched her, unable to turn his eyes away. For the first time in years he felt really happy. The awarness of that there was one person in this world who loved him, and who he could offer his love in return made him stronger. Maybe he wasn't prepared for what was going to be, maybe he wasn't sure about the path he chose, but he knew that no matter what he would do, he would always think of her, her deep eyes, her sweet lips and her lovely smile. He would protect her at any cost, until there still was life inside him.
He wiped away an unruly wisp of hair of her smooth forehead and gently kissed her there. She moved a little, not waking up, and instictly cuddled him more, so he wrapped tigher his free arm around her bare shoulder and moved closer. He then placed his head right next to hers, so that his chin was touching her forehead, and slowly closed his eyes.
* * *
Until there still was life inside him.