Chapter 3:
Him
I sat in the chair. That same ol' chair. It had gotten pretty comfortable after twelve hours of sitting. I waited. Lei was trying to 'find me a new home'. As he put it. Shit. I just hoped it wouldn't be that redheaded piece of shit, they call an Asian. But little did I know, I was gonna get worse. Much worse. Damn.
"WHAT?!" I jumped almost thirty feet, or at least it felt like it. I could've sworn I hit my head on the ceiling. Lei sighed.
"Look, this is only person I could find." I sneered. The person before me was none other than........ waiting in suspense........... him. That guy who 'saved me' from hurting myself on that redhead. I couldn't even see his face, but by the way he was standing and how his eyes stared a hole through me, I'm guessing he didn't like the idea either.
"No, you look. Apparently, this guy doesn't seem too happy either, so why don't you jus' let me go back to America." I knew it was pointless but I had to do something, shit. Lei rolled his eyes. I swear, Asians do NOT look right when they do that. Yes, I can cross a point with OUT swearing. I just don't choose to. Great, just peachy. I sighed. I would be going home with this dude and living with him. You know it's not so fucking bad, knowing that you just do chores and train, but I had to go to school too. Oh, how I loathe my entire existence. BIG words, people! Anyway, reluctantly, I followed him back to 'my new home'. Damn that sounds cheesy. I never really had a HOME. Now that I think about it.
So he was a bit quiet at first but told me everything I needed to know. Basic house rules (Japan style) and that was practically it. He let all of the 'airplane' mess die down before he made me go to school. Realizing that I knew nothing of Japan, he began teaching me Japanese, how to read, write, and speak. Lucky me huh? No. Not exactly. Did you know that the Japanese language has over nine hundred characters?! (900) OVER NINE HUNDRED! Shit, I'm not anywhere close to that. Needless to say, my grades went up dramatically after starting my Japanese classes with, um, I didn't even know his name at the time. But I soon learned. Well, anyway, I got so good they skipped me up to high school, (and for those who haven't already guessed I'm only thirteen fucking, 13, years old) Mishima Polytechnic, to be exact. Wasn't my fault. My 'teachers' signed me up for it and I took a test. Apparently, I passed and Jin, (Jin Kazama, being the one who I was staying with, by law, might I add) didn't like me going there to well, but said nothing about it.
Jin? Well, he was particularly quiet and kept to himself the first few days. I guess when he saw me reading about karate (an English book I had gotten from this British boxer I met and made friends with, I think his name was Steve Fox) he asked if I wanted to learn. Stupidly, I said yeah. Can we say DUMB ASS, once again! With more feeling, this time! DUMB ASS.... oooooOOOooooOOOOOOoooo... DUMB ASS.... SING IT! Yes, I have lost my mind, but I don't think I had one in the first place. Moving onward..... So I began my training. Don don DON! Geez. I ached for about a few months until my body got used to it. I guess all my experimental 'jumping with weights around my ankles' (when I was little. DON'T ask....) paid off, 'cause I had a jumping advantage. Well, about two months went by after I first came to Jin's house and I had a normal, well it's probably anything BUT normal, schedule. Wake up, train, shower, school, train, shower, study, bed. There.
In-between all of that I was drawing (one of my favorite things to do), skateboarding (somehow I ended up with my skateboard, I don't know how so don't ask.), goofing off with Ling Xaioyu and all of my guy friends I had made, and keeping in touch with Steve (the boxer dude) and Paul (a goofy American, like me, who was kinda like someone to help you laugh when it's the worst of times) by sending letters. Every so often I would get a book or a little something to keep me on track with America or something I could get lost in from all of my new surroundings (Japan).
Well, after stumbling upon, Mr. Redhead a few times, I got to know him as Hwoarang, er somthin' along those lines. We kinda settled our differences, except for the damn fact that Jin was his rival and I was staying with him. I guess you could say that we hung out a bit, you know after school sometimes and I got to know him a little. Apparently he didn't like Americans, his screwed up reasons: 1. He thought they were all just goofy A.K.A. Paul, 2. He had this black Texan girl running around trying to get revenge on him because he said something about Texas, and 3. the plane incident (which he immediately discarded after I told him that it wasn't our, as in America's, fault).
So there ya have it. Ever since I came I met new people, Lei, Jin, Hwoarang, Paul, Steve, Tashima (the black Texan), and Ling, who from here on out will be referred to as Xaioyu. School wasn't the best. I was smaller (in size, weight, and height) and people often teased me too. It wasn't anything different, except they were all fucking cowards and said what they had to say in Japanese. I really thought my life was a damn mess. They loved me for my art, bravery, and mind, and hated me for it too. So every day I would wake up, train, take a shower, eat and tie my wrist weights around my ankles. Jin caught me one day as I was riding my skateboard down the street wearing my wrist weights around my ankles. I had actually gotten used to them and was able to so tricks. Jin saw me coming home from school and nearly scared the living shit out of me. He said something when I landed a grinder off of the nearby railing cutting of the park. I was so used to the quietness and being off in my own world, that when I heard his voice I slipped and hit the cement. Ouch,.....don't think I'll live that one down anytime soon..... Well, days turned to weeks and those fucking weeks turned in to a month.
I was riding home from school and it was getting dark fast, sense I had already stayed out late enough and would be scolded about it too. I was just minding my own fucking, shitty business. I felt someone grab my shoulder. I turned around and backed away. I was face to face with a man clad in black army or some type of force clothing. Jin had always told me that fighting should only be used to defend and if he ever caught me fighting someone who wasn't messing with me or hurting someone out of anger, well, he said I would regret it. I believe him too. The man took a swing at me. I dodged and grinned. Time to test my new skills. I caught his arm and flipped him over onto his back. The man somehow got his arm loose from me and came at me with a high kick. I jumped over his leg, thanks to all of my practice with those weights, and kicked him back. I threw my book bag aside and we fought in the grass. I had become prone to the fact that I would be wearing my school skirt (which I HATE) so I always wore a pair of black biker shorts underneath. I thought I had it under control until his little buddies jumped in. There must have been about nine of them all-together. I couldn't hold them all off and I began to spill blood. I couldn't just run. Maybe it was my stupidity, or maybe my bravery, or maybe just my pride. Either way I didn't back down and I found myself in a win or die situation.....