Chapter 8
Hwoansang rolled away just in time as the dagger flew toward his head, knocking his assailant down with one kick. As soon as he was knocked down, the enemy flipped himself back up and lunged toward where the redhead stood. A sharp cry was ripped from his throats as a strong fist was buried into his stomach. The dagger hit a distant corner, leaving its owner defenseless.
Kouji drew his fist back, keeping it poised for attack, and demanded, "You have three seconds to tell me who you are and what you were trying to do."
The emerald eyes suddenly glistened upon seeing the figure before them, tears overflowing the attractive eyes. The black-clad boy ran into Kouji, sobbing into his shirt as he clutched at it desperately while shouting, "Onii-san! Why'd you leave?! Why?!"
Kouji stood still, stunned, while all he could do was place a comforting hand on the boy's back. He could feel the small cheek nuzzling into his shirt, already wet from so much tears. Kouji regretted having punched the boy so hard, now realizing exactly how small he was. The smaller youth's crown of pale blonde hair didn't even reach Kouji's shoulders. The small hands that had held the dagger before felt soft in Kouji's hand as he gently pushed the younger boy back.
The blonde boy took a shy step back, fully aware of his mistake, and muttered, "I'm sorry… I-I thought you were my brother…you look so much like him…"
"Daijoubu," Kouji added with a slight smile, "Where'd your brother go anyway?"
"My brother… my brother was killed by Heihachi's minions. They raided our home, kidnapped my mother… and…killed my brother!"
"If your intention is to seek revenge on Heihachi… why did you attempt to kill me?" Hwoansang asked the smaller youth, watching as the crown of blonde ducked away from his friendly touch.
"A careless mistake, the boy's an amateur," a low voice snickered as a tall slender figure followed it into the room. Three slim daggers rested between three fingers, nails painted crimson red. Long, pale arm stretched out as she swiftly threw the daggers into the wall, all three targeted close to the blonde: one next to his neck, one above his head, one pinning the tail of his black shirt down. Straight, yet fashioned, red hair stretched to her pale shoulders, hazel eyes with deadly gleam. Her black dress hugged her tightly as she walked towards the blonde boy, her elegantly stepping feet connected to long pale legs; a single bracelet on her wrist made her shine brilliantly. Narrowing her eyes into a dangerous smile, she said in a smooth accent, "Hello, cousin, we finally meet."
"Cousin?!" everyone echoed the word. The newcomer smiled before continuing in her authoritative tone, "I am Eliza, daughter of Anna Williams, and the wretched soul here is Lin Chaolan; he is the youngest son of Lee Chaolan and Nina Williams."
Eliza pursed her lips thoughtfully before turning to face Lin and delivering a sharp slap to the boy's cheek. Her eyes bore down into his own emerald ones, staring at him disdainfully and mocking him for his inferiority in age, height, and skill. In a flash she held three more daggers between her fingers, ready to throw them again in perfect aim.
"This is for bringing disgrace to our family-"
Kouji held her wrist tight just as she was about to release the daggers, throwing it back hard enough to make her stumble. Standing a few inches over her, he warned, "Until we figure out what is going on here, no one will try anything."
He couldn't even get a wisp of breath afterwards as Eliza gracefully flipped him over her shoulders before stepping on his chest with her high-heeled shoe. She laughed derisively as she crushed her heel into his chest, her nails digging into his wrist. Tossing her head up, she added, "Come, Lin. Aren't you going to save your 'brother'? Or do you want him to die as well?"
"I suggest you release my friend, lady, or I'll double the pain and return it to you," a stone cold voice warned lowly as Ryuu stepped into the arena. His long black bangs waved over his firmly set eyes as he stepped closer and closer to Eliza. His fingers flexed slowly, giving out sounds of cracking bones. Eliza stepped back carefully, eyeing the teen with nervous eyes. Crossing her arms, she simply stated, "I don't have time to waste with you fools. I'll deal with you in official tournament fights."
As soon as she left, Ryuu immediately shifted his gaze to Hwoansang, eyes glowing furious red as Ryuu recollected how Hwoansang had run away from him. His rage grew as he remembered how Hwoansang hadn't even given him a chance to explain his abrupt transformation. Aware of the building rage in his friend, the redhead backed away quickly. Ryuu was even quicker as he grabbed Hwoansang by his wrist and slammed him against the wall. Kouji was immediately on his feet, trying to pry Ryuu off of the smaller teen, but was knocked back just as fast by Ryuu's demon strength. Lin quickly grabbed his dagger and was about to stab Ryuu right in the back of his neck, when a pair of mechanical stars flew into Ryuu's shoulders and released a strong surge of electricity.
The devil let out a distorted cry of anguish as he let Ryuu take over, leaving the youth panting and gasping as the static died away on his body. Ryuu's hands fisted over his bent knees, the pain still coursing in his body. He removed the useless weapons from his shoulders, throwing them on the floor. Behind him a perky voice exclaimed, "You leave the redhead alone from now on! Understand? Or you'll have to answer to me!"
Yuki marched in, thrilled at having saved her prince from the rapacious freak. She walked over to Hwoansang, who was undoubtedly confused and uneasy. Removing one of her rapiers from their sheaths on her back, she pointed it at him and asked, "Are you ready for our match? It's about to start soon."
She began to sway back and forth playfully, wagging her long ponytail, and chanted, "If I win, you're mine! You'll be my charming, handsome prince!"
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Dagger held between teeth, the figure edged himself closer until he was right over Shin's body. Spread about on the ceiling, he couldn't do much; he had to get down without making a noise. Moving the dagger to his fingers, the youth took a deep breath; he practically fell from the ceiling when Shin's eyes opened at once. Regaining his suave composure, the youth offered, "Hey there, beautiful."
With a mighty yell, the strange youth flung himself away from the surface, arms spread out wide. Wild, yet slick, black hair hung before the radiant emerald eyes. The almost insane, feverish gaze rendered Shin speechless and frozen to the spot until a glint of a blade caught his eyes. Swiftly moving his long leg up, Shin kicked his assailant off the bed; upon gaining this advantage, his eyes grew bright yellow, claws daring out from his skin.
Fan of brown hair spread in the air as Shin leapt toward his assailant, striking wherever with his claws. The lithe body of his opponent wove in and out of his attack, lashing out in the quick break of a second with a powerful leg. Hooking Shin's neck in his leg, the youth swung him to the side. Raising his dagger high, he bellowed, "See?! If you'd died more peacefully, everything would've gone according to plan! Sis is gonna kill me when she finds out about this!"
"You will have more to worry about than that," a cool voice entered, followed by Ren's icy gaze focused on the youth. He was not even a bit surprised as a sudden fist came his way; Ren simply blocked it with a raised arm. Then with a powerful thrust of one palm, he sent the boy flying back. Emerald eyes paled in pain as the youth lay there, gasping for breath, one hand squeezed over his stomach. Ren stepped closer to finish his task when he heard a menacing click. Turning around, he found the cold, deadly metal of a gun pointed right between his eyes.
The crimson painted nails scratched the cold surface as she curled her fingers over the gun, holding it relaxed. Shifting the weight to her other leg, Eliza said, smirking, "I suggest you let my brother go, unless you want your brain blasted right out of your skull."
"I wasn't going to kill him anyway. I'll see him in the tournament," Ren gave a collective smirk as he glanced back at the boy, "But if you feel that you must shoot me now, go ahead. Though I don't think you have the guts to do so."
"Hey! Eliza can blast your skull open!"
"Raphael, stay out of this!" Eliza warned sharply, steadying the gun in her hand. She could feel the cold sweat moisten her pale skin, her nervous eyes studying Ren's unfazed features. It felt so hard to swallow under those eyes; they bore under her skin. Quickly lowering her gun to her side, she muttered, "I'm letting you go for now. But you and I'll face each other sooner or later. Come, Raphael."
Ren watched the grumbling boy pass by, careful to memorize each unique feature, especially the dark tattoo of a serpent running down the smooth neck – its tail coiled elegantly around the slim base. Also engraved into his memory was the distinctive scent Raphael carried: frosty breeze of the wintry night.
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"I could've taken care of everything, Sis. You didn't have to come rescuin'," Raphael murmured as he bit into a fresh apple, throwing his slim body into the large sofa. Fixing his fingers in his silky raven strands, he tossed them up, letting them settle down in a wave. Quickly finishing the apple, he threw the core into a trashcan, fixing his arms crossed behind his head. He crossed one leather-clad leg over his other and added, "I could've seduced him with my charm, ya know?"
Shaking her head, her back turned toward Raphael, Eliza couldn't help but chuckle at her younger brother's antics. Despite the annoyance her brother always managed to raise, she couldn't help but love him for that; he was her little brother, her eternal responsibility – though, the word responsibility wore too much emphasis on duty, requirement, obligations, and such; Raphael was none of those.
"I've heard you say that many times, I have yet to see a true representation of your words, Raphael," Eliza teased as she sat in a chair opposite her brother's, crossing her long legs in a elegant motion. The ease into which she coaxed her mind was rudely disturbed by a loud thumping noise against the wall in the next room; she narrowed her slim eyes, studying and absorbing each sound of motion from the aforementioned room. Raphael, also acute in his senses, straightened up in his seat, hands fisted over the armrest until his knuckles turned white – he had heard a muffled scream. The situation did not call for a contemplation – Raphael stood up and left his sister with an incoherent, "I'm gonna see what that was."
Rapping sharply on the door once outside, the youth waited for a response. He gave a frustrated growl when the door remained closed. Raising his fist over the hard wooden surface, Raphael knocked again - he blinked innocently when his fist drove through. Inside, he could hear startled growls and sounds of zippers being moved up.
"Someone's here!" a fearful voice warned another. A grunt followed the warning, "Alright! Damn it. Get my gun. Don't let the bitch get away!"
Without another thought, Raphael raised one leg and kicked the door down with ease.
Author's Note: Sorry this chapter ends so abruptly ^^; but I promise you more action (whichever you prefer) in the next chapter! Ja ne!
The Williams family members are now involved. Uh-oh. Daughter and son of Anna Williams… the two will be causing a lot of trouble ^^; Raphael's caused enough trouble already. I guess Yuki's not the youngest anymore since Lin happens to have just turned 15. *sighs dreamily* Imagine Lee's and Nina's son… *drools* a gorgeous boy…