A/n: Thank you, everyone who's read or reviewed this fic! I've had a few questions from reviewers, so here goes. Firstly, Iris Omega, I presume by "bad", you mean sex… I rated this pg-13, and I'm sticking to that rating. It wouldn't be fair to bump it up after younger people started reading it. That doesn't mean I'm not going to write higher-rated stuff in the future (My next fic, actually. But you'll just have to wait for that.) As for when they'll fall in love, I don't remember saying they would… ;)

As for Kazzy's question about Jin/Hwoarang: I also had the feeling they were sort of friends from Hwoarang's ending, but in his ending, he beat Jin. I realise I didn't make it clear, but they were interrupted by the army guys before the fight was over, so Hwoarang still wasn't satisfied. I don't really view them as enemies, that's too strong. However, they are rivals, and I wanted to play up Hwoarang's temper a bit.

Disclaimer: Oh, I can't be bothered, you know already, right?

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Julia sat perched on the end of her bed, once more flicking through TV channels, trying not to concentrate on the sound of the shower running in the bathroom. Scanning the place, her eyes fell yet again upon the grubby rucksack discarded carelessly on the floor. Her thoughts wandered aimlessly through all its possible contents, and caught up in her imagination, she jumped in surprise as the lock clicked on the bathroom door and he swung it open. She looked up at his muscular figure, framed in the doorway. "That impressive, am I?" Hwoarang mumbled, not removing the toothbrush wedged in his mouth and flexing his muscles cockily.

"Don't kid yourself!" She sneered, arching an eyebrow. She turned her head away, feigning interest in the television to hide her blush. She'd never admit it, but with him stood before her in his figure-hugging jeans, his damp chest bare and glistening under the hotel room lights, she was quite impressed.

"You got a hairdryer?" He asked, pacing the room to stand before her, hand on hip, looking around. Julia couldn't help but bristle at how comfortable he seemed when her insides felt like they were filled with a flock of swans, rather than butterflies.

She gestured towards the bedside table. "Over there." She averted her eyes from him again. His semi-nakedness was not doing her nerves any good at all. Grabbing the device he headed back into the bathroom, mumbling what sounded vaguely like a thank you over his shoulder. Julia relaxed a little once he'd disappeared from sight. She still wasn't sure why on earth she'd told him he could stay here. Though she'd probably have been in trouble if she hadn't. She still had no idea what he'd said to the police officer, which worried her a bit. But at least she hadn't been arrested, or deported. His language skills were considerably more developed than hers. She'd just about mastered how to say hello and thank you in Japanese, and this was her second trip here.

Everything had seemed fine once they'd stopped yelling at each other and he was helping her out, but now that the reality of a night alone together was finally becoming clear, she felt sick with nerves. She wasn't sure why though. It wasn't like anything was going to happen, she'd been very clear about the no funny business rule. And she'd spent the night with a guy before, although Hwoarang was very different from the other guys she knew. She really had to get over her nervousness about him. She was normally so confident around people.

Having decided that she wasn't going to allow herself to be afraid of him anymore, she looked up at him surely when he again emerged from the other room. "It's only 9, you wanna go out or something?" She asked, brightly.

Hwoarang gave her a slightly surprised glance and walked over to his rucksack. "I dunno." He shrugged, grabbing a T-shirt from the bag and pulling it over his head. "Somewhere you want to go?"

"Oh…" Julia hadn't thought that far ahead. Before she could come up with a response, he interrupted her.

"I'm not really that bothered about going out…" He flopped himself down on the bed beside her and grabbed the remote. "I haven't watched TV for over a year."

"A year? Wow!" Julia was a little taken aback by this. She'd imagined him as being the sort of person who was out, all night, every night. Not sat comfortably in front of a TV.

"Yeah, well. There's not much time for television in the army…" His tone was hard, and his feelings about his time doing service were clear. "You got any beer?" He was on his feet again, sauntering over to the minibar.

Julia frowned at him. "I think there might be some in there…" She told him. It seemed that she wasn't going to be able to get him out into public. She'd hoped having other people around might help her feel more at ease, but he didn't appear at all interested in going anywhere. She watched his back as he leant into the minibar, scouring its contents for what he wanted. He straightened up, beer in hand and turned to ask if she wanted anything. His smile reached his eyes, giving them a strange sparkle, as he looked at her enquiringly, his deep gaze searching hers. "Julia?" He waved his hand in front of her face, his warm smile taking on a smirking edge. "Huh? Oh, no. I'm fine thanks." She said hurriedly, looking back to the TV screen, embarrassed.

"You sure you're not interested in any 'funny business'?" He teased, sitting down next to her and nudging her playfully.

"No!" She snapped, moving away form him quickly to sit on the armchair by the window. She glared at him crossly, as he sighed and lay back on the bed, channel hopping nonchalantly. They passed the rest of the evening in uneasy silence. Hwoarang was fairly engrossed in the television, but Julia just sat letting various thoughts wander through her mind, the programs meaningless to her.

Hwoarang sat up and blinked into the darkness of the room. His neck was stiff and sore from sleeping on the chair. Peering through the blackness, he searched for what had woken him. A gasp from the bed caught his attention and his eyes began to focus on the shape of Julia. She was tossing restlessly under the sheets; her breathing seemed laboured, and unsteady. "Julia?" He whispered, but she didn't answer him. She was lying still and he was just about to go back to sleep when she gave a rather violent lurch and called something indistinguishable under her breath.

Quickly, he made his way to the bed, and leant over her. Beads of sweat stood out on her brow and her chest rose and fell rapidly. Through the shadows he could make out the twitching of her closed eyes and the way her body was trembling. He remembered how her sleep had been uneasy the night he'd taken her back to his place, and he assumed that she must suffer from nightmares a lot. He reached down and shook her gently, whispering her name.

The burning sun of the desert was suddenly replaced by darkness as Julia's eyes sprang open. She sat up, shaking and gasping for breath, clinging to the body in front of her. Eyes wide open, she stared frightened into the dark as warm arms wrapped round her, stroking the back of her head soothingly. She dug her nails in, holding on tight to the reality of the room she was in, shaking away the horror of the demon and the desert. She blinked back tears, fighting the stinging behind her eyes as she gradually brought her breathing under control.

"It's ok, it's just a dream." She heard him murmur in her ear, and that was enough to tip the tears over the edge. Burying her head in his shoulder, sobs wracked her body. He didn't let go, but held her securely in his arms, rocking her gently, smoothing her hair with his hand. Eventually her sobs subsided, and he pushed her back gently, so he could see her face. She stared down away from him, ashamed of what had happened. He softly stroked her cheek, his fingers delicately brushing away her tears, and tilting her face towards his. She stared up into his eyes, misery clear in her expression, and he leant in cautiously, brushing his lips against hers in the lightest of touches. When she didn't pull away, he pressed against her more firmly, his kiss warm and reassuring. She sank helplessly into it, too exhausted by her nightmare to worry about the consequences.

Pulling away from her, he ran his fingers through her hair, pulling it back from her face. His dark eyes focused on her own, filled with concern. "Are you alright?" He asked quietly. She nodded, smiling weakly at him, not able to give a stronger response.

It wasn't until several hours later that they went back to bed. They stayed up, talking for a long time about their lives. Julia told him all about growing up on the Indian reserve with her mother, about learning about nature and all the beauty in the world. She talked about bareback horse riding and watching buffalo grazing on the plains. She told him about her studying at university and her work with G Corporation, and she explained about the nightmares.

In return, he told her about how his mother had thrown him out when he was still very young and how he'd never known his father. He talked of living and training at the dojo with Baek, and how he had been like the father he'd never had. He talked about street life, and learning how to get money out of foolish tourists. And he explained his feud with Jin Kazama. He talked about life in the military, and how despondent it made him feel. He told her about how defeating Jin was the only real goal he had.

"But that can't be good for you! Seeking nothing but revenge is no way to live." She gasped.

"How else should I live? There is nothing else for me in life…" Julia was worried by how uncaring he seemed.

"Everyone should have a target in life." She told him, her voice filled with passion.

"A target?"

"Yes, a goal to aim for. A dream for the future, something positive they wish to obtain. My dream is to save my homeland. It is what I work for, and hope for. It is the dream of one day succeeding, which makes me happy." Hwoarang listened to her words, brimming with her love for her land, and her work to save it. "You shouldn't allow such a petty dispute to consume you. We all need something to shoot for, something that will make us happy." She smiled at him, hoping he understood what she meant.

For a while he stared off into space, deep in thought. When he turned to her he smiled, though his eyes seemed troubled. "I guess I don't have a target…"

"Oh… I'm sure you just haven't found it yet." She suggested, feeling a strange sadness for him.

Hmm… I'm tired, reckon I'll try getting back to sleep." He told her, stifling a yawn, and clambering off the bed.

Julia watched, a little disappointed as he sat himself back down in the armchair, preparing to go to sleep. "Right, ok. I guess I should try and catch up on my sleep." She said quietly, rolling over and flicking off the light. "Goodnight." She whispered, but there was no reply.