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Author's jibberish: You all must hate me now… -_-…Sorry to leave you hanging for so long (a year! Holy tortilla!) I was skimming through my FF.net listing and I saw this Tekken story…and it was still unfinished. So I typed this up (I forgot about this story…bad me *slaps hands, firmly but gently enough so I could maintain typing*) Ok, here's the continuation…
I lift my eyebrows. I wait, patiently, for what she's about to say to me. Is this another game she's playing? At first I thought that but the look in her eyes is too intense.
"Ling?" I mutter. I place my hand on her forehead. "Are you sick?"
But she swats my hand aside. "No, I'm fine, Jin. Just please…hear me out."
"Ok."
"I…" her eyebrows furrow and she makes a deep growl in her throat.
It looks like she's going to throw up. I gulp.
"It's just…" she finally starts, "when you left, it felt as if a part of me left too. Then, you came back…and…" tears fall from her eyes. I could feel this strange squeeze in my chest. "…and I felt relieved. After two years… I know I'm independent enough to live without you but…I…I just want to be near you…" she buried her face in her hands, quickly wiping her tears.
We stay on our knees for a few moments. Then she adds, "I don't mind if you don't return my feelings…It's just…" she stops and then looks up at me. "I'm just happy to know you're okay. And that I can see you, even if it's only allowed during the tournament. That's enough for me," she stands up.
She's happy just to see me. And the truth is I did miss her during these two years. But I wanted to protect her.
She's the only person in this entire world that I could call a friend, a special person. She knows me and accepts me when even I can't accept myself. Ling Xiaoyu gets to me; I realize it now. I'm following her…I'm drawn to her.
I stand too, uncomfortably placing my hands on her shoulders. "D-Don't cry," I say.
What else can I say?
Well, I could hug her? Hugs make people feel better, right?
Slowly at tortoise speed, I wrap my arms around her. "It…It's okay."
What a stupid things to say! To the casual observer, I look like a rigid pole trying to comfort her…Well, that do you expect? Ling's crying over me because of her feelings for me. I don't know what to do with her…
I gently place my chin on top of her head. I can smell a light scent of peaches from her hair. Her frame is so little compared to mine; my arms can wrap completely around her. The sunset is gone and fireflies decorate the clearing. She's stop crying; that's a good sign. I haven't let her go; is that a good sign too?
I can see bright orange. Slowly, I open my eyes, eastern exposure temporarily blinding me. My thoughts recall the happenings of last night: Ling and I slept in the glen.
I move slowly, carefully, so Ling won't wake up. She's against me, head on my shoulder. We are lying under the trees, its fragrance enveloping the clearing. "You awake yet?" she asks.
"Kinda," I answer. "Did I wake you?"
"No, I got up about five minutes ago." She sits up and looks at me. My eyes are hazy but it looks like she has something on her mind. "Jin…"
What's she going to say? Is she going to ask about last night? Is she going to ask how I feel? How would I answer that?
"I need to pee," she says simply.
And I sigh in relief. That's it? "You're kidding." She shakes her head earnestly. I stand. "Ok, let's go. There's a hotel nearby."
As we walk towards the trees, I see an old friend. My black and white silver Kawasaki motorcycle is sitting there. It's in perfect condition; no dents or anything. I turn to Ling. "You're been taking care of her."
She nods.
"Did…you ride her here?"
She nods again.
A visual picture of Ling on my motorcycle, arms spread out in fear, comes to my mind. I hold back a chuckle. "How fast were you going?"
"32…" she answers sheepishly.
I lift an eyebrow. "That's it?" Well, I didn't expect anything less than 40 or something…
I approach Kawa-chan, put down the helmet, and hop on. It's been awhile since the last time I rode her. I look in Ling's direction. "Come on, let's go."
She smiles at me like a little girl and straddles the bike behind me. We ride to the nearest hotel; the Mountain Lodge. It's a 5-minute ride there and once we arrive at the main entrance, she runs like lightning. Poor girl…
I sit on the bike, letting the engine run for another 10 minutes. I know girls don't take that long in the bathroom. Something is up. I was just about to get up when the doors open and I see Ling step out. She looks at me with slightly misty eyes. "Do you have plans this morning Jin?"
I shake my head.
"Can…"she hesitates for a moment, averting her eyes.
Something inside me sees a bit of light. I have no idea what it is; I just speak. "How about a ride again?"
I knew it was what she was asking for; her eyes brighten. "What about your car?"
"No one will swipe it; it's at the glen. No one knows that place."
"Ok!"
"But-."
"But what?"
I scoot back. "I'll teach you how to ride her."
Her eyes widen. "Ah- Why?"
"I'm entrusting her to you. I want to make sure she's taken care of. You have to ride her to her full potential."
"You mean 'fast'?"
I nod.
"But I'm scared to mess up!"
"Know fear," I simply tell her.
Her eyes widen more. "You're crazy! How can I have no fear?"
"No, not 'no fear'. Understand fear…then get over it," I tell her. "If you take care with Kawa-chan, she'll take care of you."
She looks at the bike, then to the floor. I can tell she's running thoughts through her head; her eyebrows are furrowing close together. Then, she looks at me, a smirk on her face. Ling sits in front of me, hands on the bars. She side-glances at me.
"Let's go," she hollers, and she takes off…at 28 km/h.
"Come on Ling," I encourage, "My dead grandmother is faster."
She laughs as we head out on the highway.
The scenery begins to run by faster. I place my hands on top of hers, gently increasing the throttle. My body is close against hers, my heart against her back.
The roaring engine fills the air with its sound. I feel as if I'm two years younger. Two years ago, I was a little more naïve; a little more understanding and a little more…open…
~
Ling scooped a bit of cake in her mouth. Her body relaxed and a smile formed on her face. "This is so good!" she cooed.
She and Jin sat at the dining table with a cake in front of them. It was a circular, double-layer chocolate cake, covered with fudge frosting and accented with icing and cherries.
Jin flinched slightly. "Thanks." He was never quite good at taking compliments.
"You could sell this recipe to a bakery or something! I can't believe you baked this!" Ling exclaimed. "Even the frosting was from scratch--!"
"Sh!" Jin hushed. "Tell the whole damn house!"
Ling smiled. "Sorry. But where did you learn to cook this?"
Jin took his last bite of the piece in front of him. "My mom. Every birthday since I could remember, she baked me this exact cake. And when it was her birthday, I made her pancakes. Then, when I got old enough, like 12, I made a cake for her birthday; vanilla was her favorite."
Ling took another slice. "Is talking about her getting easier?"
Jin slightly nodded. Then, he turned to his housemate. "What do you want to do for your birthday? No wait--," Jin held his hand out before she could answer. "I know: a trip to Disneyland?"
"Uh…"
"Shopping spree?"
"Actually…"
"The…zoo?"
"A ride," Ling said. "I want a ride of the town on Kawa-chan."
"Kawa-…Oh, my motorcycle," Jin recalled. "That's all you want? A joyride?"
"Well, of course I want to go ride Dumbo but…Kawa-chan seems more…inviting right now."
Jin nodded. "I'm sure we can do that."
~
By now, the speedometer reads 75 km/h. Much better…
Seven minutes later, we're back at our spot. She turns off the ignition. I hop off. "Well, how did that feel?"
"Great!" she exclaims. "Inviagor—invinigor—invigorating!"
I turn, looking at the rental car, sitting a few yards away. I turn back to the bike. "It felt nice riding Kawa-chan again. I missed it."
"She missed you too."
No matter what happens, Ling manages to smile genuinely.
"You better get to school," I warn her, "Or you'll be late."
She nods. "Whatcha gonna do today?"
"I got a fight with Steve Fox."
"When is it? Maybe I could come watch?"
"3:00. But don't you have work?"
Ling shrugs. "Yeah, but I thought maybe I could see it." Her eyes turn to the floor. "You know, to see you."
I take a deep breath. To see me? My brain still screams that it's a bad idea, seeing her like this. It's too open and inviting. But I can't help it for some reason. And so I came to a conclusion, a theory if possible: Ling Xiaoyu is special. Special in different levels.
It first started as a friendship as home. I was mostly a loner my whole life. I was usually by myself growing up…besides my mom. When I started attending the Mishima Industrial Technical College, I only gained typical formal classmates.
Ling was my first real friend. She reached out even though she ran into a few walls. She was a determined girl with spirit, strength and a large amount of hope. She did bring light to the house.
When I left, I knew something was wrong. I had grown accustomed to her. I was used to being greeted with a cheerful 'Ohayo!' and her weird mood swings.
But I had to re-create a new life. It was difficult. It was my 2nd transition…but I had to. I had a goal: to end the Mishima line… That's what I had to do. I still feel I must do that. But…
"If you're free around 6 o'clock, we could get some tea or…whatever," I suggest.
She picks up the helmet from the ground. "Ok, I guess I'll see you later." She hops on the bike and leaves.
Ling wants to see me…and for some reason, I want to see her. There I go again…following her lead.
I head back to town and get myself a smoothie. I don't know, I was in the mood for one. But I think it was a mistake.
As I am heading to my parked car, a long black limousine pulls up in front of me. I grimace; I don't want to deal with this…not now…
The back door opens and a man steps out. He's sharply dressed in a dark purple, almost black, blazer and black slacks. Of course he would be dressed in Armani-type clothes. He looks at me with an emotionless face, not even bothering to take off his sunglasses. It's cloudy out here, the stupid…
"I want to talk to you," he begins.
"I don't care," I pull out my key.
He steps aside and slams his door shut. My brain jolts due to the sound; I refuse to let my body do the same.
"What do you want?" I ask. Knowing him…well, more or less, he's not a very wordy person. "Let's get this over with."
"Have you seen your fight schedule?"
"I have." I try not to lunge at the guy.
"A warning to you," he tells me, "Stay out of my way."
"Not if I can help it," I sneer. "I have every intention to finish the both of you off."
"Yes so I've heard."
"'Heard'?"
"I had a chat with the old baggage. He told me what has happened for these past 20 years." I guess that means Heihachi told him about me. He takes off his sunglasses and looks at me straight in the eyes, the hideous red eye gleaming at me. "On Saturday," he says, "I won't hold back."
"Neither will I," I open my car door and hop in. I ignite the ignition, shift into gear and slam on my gas. I burn out my tires and head straight into the side of his limo. With about a foot of space before impact, I slam on my brakes.
His face is stiff as always. Now, his eyes are narrow at me, like slits. "The old man is mine. I warned you."
Before I can retort, he climbs in his limo and it drives away. Damn, he had the last word!
I take a long sip of my smoothie. I hate looking at him; it's like looking in an older mirror image.
I better head to the hotel. I can change and get in some extra training before this afternoon's fight.
…fin?
Author's jibberish (again): Namco's characters, not mine. Now, I will go back in my little corner, trying to think up stories. "Xiaoyin," I shall mutter, "Xiaoyin…"