"But really, what's worse than that?" The two women laughed some more. Jun wiped her eyes. "Oh, Michelle. You are one of the most amusing people I have ever met!"

"Yeah, well, don't get used to it. I only get this way when I drink." Michelle grinned at her new friend. "So, what exactly is the story with you and that cop?"

"Wulong?" Jun raised an eyebrow. "What about him?"

"Don't play dumb with me. I've seen the way he looks at you, how he watches your ass when you walk."

"Michelle!"

"It's true! Wear something low-cut to dinner tomorrow night and see how much trouble he has forming words."

"Boy, do you Americans ever think of anything besides sex?"

"Oh, every now and then." Michelle turned to the bartender and snapped her fingers. "More sake!" she ordered. Jun laughed. The bartender complied.

"You ladies must have more than your share of troubles to drink away," he commented, a smile in his eyes as he refilled Michelle's glass.

"You have no idea," she replied. She lifted her glass toward him. "Cheers." She threw it back and drained the whole glass.

"Tell you what," offered the bartender. "I'll just leave the bottle here, how's that sound?"

"We can't afford a whole bottle," Jun admitted.

"It's on the house." He winked. "A gift from Mishima-san." Before she could open her mouth to thank him, he had left to serve other patrons. She just smiled.

* * * * *

"Ha!" hollered Anna. "Who's laughing now, bitch?"

"Shut up, you twit." Nina set her pool cue down and pushed the rest of the billiard balls into the pockets with her hand.

"And why should I? It's nice to actually be better at something than my perfect sister." She practically spat the word "perfect."

"Oh, Anna. I've always known you're better at handling balls." Anna scowled and leaned against the pool table. She pulled a pack of cigarettes from her jacket pocket. Nina rolled her eyes. "Haven't I told you a hundred times? Those things will kill you."

Anna finished lighting her cigarette and blew the smoke right in Nina's face. "If I'm lucky, they'll kill you, too." Nina coughed and, resisting the urge to slap her sister, turned and headed toward the jukebox. Puffing absently on her smoke, Anna let her eyes wander around the room. She noticed several of the other fighters she had met at the previous night's dinner. Bored with pool, she scanned the room for someone besides her sister to talk to.

* * * * *

A woman took a seat at the bar next to Michelle. Jun smiled at her. "Hello," she greeted.

"Evening," the woman replied. "I saw you two at dinner last night. I'm fighting in the tournament, too. Would you mind if I joined you?"

"Not at all," Jun replied. "My name is Kazama Jun. This is Michelle Chang."

"Anna Williams." Anna hailed the bartender and ordered a Guinness. Jun tried, but she couldn't seem to put her finger on the woman's accent. Certainly Western, but definitely not American...

"So, where are you from, Anna?" Michelle asked, as if reading Jun's mind.

"Ireland," she replied. "And you're no doubt American, judging from that lovely outfit," she added in English, nodding a thank you to the bartender as he brough her drink.

"Yes, she is American. I am Japanese," Jun said, also in English. She smiled. "I have been in America before the past. Some of the language, I speak." The Irish woman laughed.

"Better than some people I've met," she said, speaking once again in Japanese. "You wouldn't believe some of the horrible attempts at English I've heard."

"You speak pretty fluent Japanese," Michelle noted.

"I've lived here for several years. I came here for school, and have since decided to stay for a while."

"What do you study in school?" Michelle inquired.

"Biology, but I'm taking some time off. Doing odd jobs here and there for now until I decide to go back."

"That sounds interesting," Jun said. "I would have liked to go to university to become a veterinarian, but my family didn't have enough money. Perhaps one day I will go. You know what they say, it's never too late."

The women continued their small talk into the early morning hours. Jun was the first to yawn. "Goodness," she said, "it's late. It's time for me to get back, go to bed." She stumbled to her feet, suddenly wishing she hadn't gone quite so heavy on the sake.

"I agree," said Anna. "If we don't get to sleep, we'll never be ready for the tournament tomorrow."

"Let's go," Michelle offered. "It would be nice to sleep." The three women stood and slowly made their way toward the door of the bar. They were just about to leave when a man stopped them. He wore an unusually tall blonde flat-top hairstyle.

"Excuse me, ladies," he said. "I hope I'm not bothering you, but I've been watching you--" he took Michelle's hand and kissed it lightly-- "all night. You wouldn't want to stay a little longer and let me buy you a drink, would you?" Michelle giggled and glanced at Jun.

"Go for it," Jun said, giving her friend a light punch on the shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow." Michelle grinned and took the man's arm. Jun and Anna left the bar and began to walk back toward the hotel. The cool night air rushed into Jun's lungs, and she immediately felt better.

"How do you like the hotel?" Anna asked.

"It's beautiful," Jun breathed. "I've never slept in such a big bed in my life!"

"It is nice. Do you have your own room?"

"Yes. Doesn't everyone?"

"No. I'm sharing a room with my sister."

"Is your sister fighting in the tournament, too?"

"Yes. Maybe I'll be lucky and she'll end up with a fatal injury." She chuckled at Jun's shocked expression. "Nina and I have never gotten along. I doubt we ever will."

"Oh." Jun rubbed her arms, attempting to smooth out the goosebumps. "Sometimes I wish I had a sister. Or a brother. My parents passed away a long time ago. I get very lonely sometimes."

"You Asians put way too much stock into family." Anna pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "No offense, but it's really not that great."

"Do you know how bad that is for the environment?" Jun asked.

"Not you, too." Anna turned her head to blow her smoke away from Jun. "I swear, if I could just find one person who didn't give me shit about smoking, I'd marry him."

"What if he were a woman?"

"Then I'd marry her!" She laughed. "It never fails to amaze me. Millions of smokers in the world, and yet everyone I know is telling me to quit."

"Well, they are concerned for you. It's very bad for you."

"No kidding. Do you know how hard it is to find a guy who doesn't mind kissing a smoker?" She rolled her eyes. "Most of them have never even done it. It's really not as bad as one would think."

"I wouldn't imagine it would taste good."

Anna stopped walking. "Jun, come here." Jun looked at the taller woman, perplexed. Before she knew what was happening, Anna's lips were on hers. She was too dumbstruck to push her away. Anna's tongue slipped into her mouth for a brief second, and then it was over. "Was it really that bad?" Anna asked.

"N... no," Jun admitted.

"Okay, then. Don't make judgements." She took a drag off her cigarette and started walking again. "So, what type of martial arts do you do?"