Scarlet Lady: The Toshin Quest
By Indigo Siren
Disclaimer: Tekken is © to Namco, and that all characters mentioned from under this label are only used in this fan fiction for entertainment purposes only. No money is being made from this story; it is just for fun. I do however own the basic concept and characters of my own creation.
Chapter 15
"It was him… he killed Toshin…" Hwoarang said.
Neither one of the three looked away from this new form of Jin. It was strange to see this undiscovered side suddenly emerged. Half-human, half demon. Power that coursed with intensity through his body.
"I thought he was dead?" Forest said confused.
Anna was just staring at him, her mind turning over everything that had happened. At first, it was like she was a blank book, opened for the very first time. But soon she began realised - the memories appeared like invisible ink on the pages.
She may have just worked it all out - everything that could have been helpful earlier on.
"If only we'd had a sign before, it would have saved a lot of this carnage," Anna said softly.
"Huh?" Forest looked to her, still positioned protectively over Nina's fragile form.
"Toshin knew about the demons holding the power of the 'Red Eye', but it wasn't as simple as scouring all the stronger soul populous… it was something deeper, and Toshin had begun to figure out that maybe it was something locked deep down, that couldn't get out. And, that was true… I can feel it now. I couldn't before…"
"You're blabbering, can you simplify at all?" Hwoarang asked, hands tight around his gun. Stopping for a chat while a potentially dangerous demon stood in front of them wasn't exactly a good position to be in.
"Jin had purposely picked up strange visions for a reason. Because the 'Red Eye' could sense Toshin's want. Then it eventually realised it could call out to the power to draw it in. But Toshin can't take away what is a part of the essence of this demon; it had some of the power but not the true source of it. That's why it was unstable…"
"How do you know all this?" Hwoarang asked curiously.
"It's just obvious. And from what we've learned and seen, It's all summed up really," she said, and shook her head. "I had been curious to know if he'd been a demon at first, and I couldn't sense it. Maybe if I had looked just a little deeper…"
"The demon side was dormant then I suppose?" Forest asked.
"So dormant that he was fully human… until now," Anna concluded.
Red eyes narrowed and Jin let out a feral cry - anger, blood lust and animosity flowed across the half demon. His wings arched backwards and he was pouncing at them.
"Shit," Forest barely muttered, throwing himself out of the way.
"NO JIN!" Anna cried, unable to move with having to protect Nina.
With the incoming attack, Hwoarang was there to intercept. There was a brief second glance exchange between him and Anna who looked unsure by what he was doing, but his response was a simple smile, gone in a second as he held the gun across his chest, thrown backwards as Jin smashed into him.
The Korean dug his boots swiftly into the demon's torso and repelled him off over head. He'd hoped for him to have gone down for a few seconds, so he'd have enough time to get up again, but Jin had turned in mid-air and landed in a crouch, growling like a vicious dog.
The demon would have charged him again if Forest hadn't shot at him, the bullet whizzing miles off target. Jin slowly turned his head to the Chinese-American man, who jumped slightly when he noticed he'd been fixed as a target.
"Stay back," Forest said, suddenly wondering why he did, as it sounded so pathetic and whimpering.
Dark wings spread and Jin was lifted to cover the distance between the two. Forest would have stepped backwards, but a high front garden wall met his back and now Jin had grabbed him, digging sharp claws into his shoulders. Forest cried out, trying to struggle against him, but he was only agitating the hold, causing even more pain on himself.
The 'Devil-Jin' just regarded him as some kind of snivelling animal and tossed him aside without even thinking too much about it, instead, eyes coming to rest on the two women in the middle of the road.
Anna was positioned in front of her sister, locking eyes with Jin. It was sad to see that a nice, young man had become nothing but a hateful, dark monster. She was stuck with what to do next - move to try and stop him somehow or stay put to protect her prone sister?
'Got to try a bit of both,' she thought, shifting herself a few paces towards him, but ever keeping her sister within running distance. Jin growled, positioning down again, ready to pounce.
"Jin, this is wrong! I know you're not really like this," she pleaded, trying the same tactics like she'd done before. "You're just not used to this side of you. Please, understand what I'm saying. Stop this now while you still have the chance."
There was a pause; both locked still, staring at each other. His eyes flickered, maybe some kind of consciousness or memories brought to the surface. It gave Anna some hope, which rapidly faded as he snapped again, eyes still very demonic and he pounced up, suddenly in front of her, claw around her neck, lifting her off the ground. She choked, hands gripped around his vice like hold, trying to prise his fingers away. Her breathing was slowing; she couldn't fight for much longer - not enough air to let her think for her next course of action.
'Can't let it end like this…' She told herself, willing her eyes to stay open, to keep at it, but words wouldn't come from her lips and her prising turned to simple clawing feebly at his hand.
A cry was lifted to her ears and she watched a foot connect with the side of Jin's face. The sound was loud and heavy and the demon was sent stumbling, grip released and Anna fell to the ground, gasping for breath. Hwoarang once again had himself positioned between Anna and Jin.
"You think you can just brush me off, well guess again," Hwoarang snapped at the infuriated demon. He spun around sharply and gave his opponent another kick, this time, directly into the chest. Jin's reaction was a step back and nothing more. "Oh, so you acting all tough now?" Jin roared, cracking his neck with a chilling pop. Hwoarang looked abashed. "Not acting?" A second later, the bounty hunter received a punch in the face, catching him in the right side of the face and sending him sprawled backwards on the ground. "I guess not," he wheezed out.
"Jin…" Anna had covered over Nina, just in case of an attack on the downed girl. The demon cast a glance to her, but he suddenly froze up and slowly turned around, a slight moan filling the air. Attentions were averted to Xiaoyu, who was now up, looking rather disorientated.
The little Chinese girl blinked with partially blurry vision. Lots of little fires, the car a molten mess, the roadway a disaster area… and everyone else and no bit monster Toshin.
'I don't get it… how long have I been out?' She wondered, squinting as her vision began to clear. Her heart skipping a beat, she was sure that she could see Jin ahead of her, but there was just something about him that didn't seem right. 'He was dead… but now he's not… I-I don't get it…' A growl, deep and angry snapped her back to a clear reality in a second and she could see his face, like it was before, but now with red eyes, markings and an animalistic snarl. His whole form had demonically changed to match and Xiaoyu was shuddering, unbelieving.
"W-what…" She said, her voice almost lost to her shock.
Jin began to move towards her. Slow, stalking steps that were closing the distance between them easily. Xiaoyu wasn't moving - her eyes locked to his - frozen like a statue.
"XIAOYU!" Anna's voice was going on deaf ears. The Chinese girl's only focus was on the demon that had been her friend, hissing animal-like at her. It was when he got too close that her feet began to work and she was stepping backward, head shaking. No, this wasn't her friend.
"Jin… no… stay back," she said feebly. He growled and his hand snapped to stop her, gripping her shoulder, claws pricking at the skin. She squeaked - nothing more, barely able to do anything else as she stared into those red orbs - angry and hypnotic. 'Am I going to die?'
Anna didn't dare move, in case anything sudden would cause Jin to lash out on Xiaoyu, now within his grasp. She shaking sat up slowly, watching the pair, despairing that she would have another life on her conscience. After Julia, any more deaths because of Toshin's mess were enough to make her snap.
Xiaoyu was weakly sinking where she stood - fear and sadness wracking her body. The demon didn't exactly know how to react to this action - his prey usually fought back besides the fear it tasted - but somehow this felt different. There was fear, but something else…
"It… it is you…" She said, almost choking. She broke away from looking into his penetrating eyes, it becoming too much of a task with so much emotion practically at the back of her throat.
'No, Jin… don't hurt her,' Anna's mind called out, to see if he'd actually hear her. There was no response, just the demon paces away, standing with the weak girl at his mercy.
"This is my fault," Xiaoyu whimpered softly. "If… If only I'd known… And if I'd been stronger… I could have stopped what that monster did to you. You're my friend… my best friend and I let you die…"
On his wrist, Jin looked down as a tiny teardrop came to fall from her cheek. He could see her crying, heart broken sobs from deep down. And it wasn't from fear, just sympathy and sorrow. For him.
A feral demon like him couldn't understand at first, but it started to come to him. He could understand, through his anger and his hunger.
"You're the only person who only truly cared for me and I let this happen to you… let him change you… I'm sorry." She cried softly; the only reason she was still on her feet was because of his firm hand on her shoulder.
"What?" Xiaoyu heard that confused hoarse voice and looked up in surprise. In fact, it had everyone else in shock. He'd spoken for the first time, breaking through the primal instincts that were purely natural with a demon side.
His red eyes narrowed. "You don't understand… this is me…" Xiaoyu's eyes widened in disbelief. After that, he said nothing. He'd stopped dead, his own eyes widening. It was realisation. "This is me? I…" There was a second of uncertainty, and then he released her, and the girl sunk to her knees. Jin stepped back, shock gracing his features. The emotion made him look more human now then before.
"What the hell is going on?" Hwoarang muttered in a loud whisper to Anna, whom wasn't too far from where he'd sat back since having the attention turned from him. The auburn haired woman didn't look to him, instead just shrugging, trying to get her head around the situation.
"He didn't know… He just didn't realise," Anna said aloud to herself. "How can you stop when you don't know what's happened to you?"
Jin looked down on Xiaoyu as she still sobbed. He shook his head, tears coming to his own eyes as he searched for a mirror, to see what had become of him. Noticing a glimmer, he turned to the remains of the rental car and gathered himself to approach, coming to the glass shard pile, carefully picking up a decent sized piece, and looking at himself. The red eyes that stared back almost made him drop the glass piece. The markings, the wings, the claws… this wasn't him at all. He dropped the glass then and covered his face.
"No… this isn't right. How can this be me? What's happened!"
"It is you, Jin," he heard Anna say, really acknowledging her for the first time since regaining himself. "All along, the 'Red Eye' was the key, and not only to power, but to the truth about you. It's where you got your telepathy. Somewhere in your bloodline was a demon, Jin, and this is another side of you, beyond your human face. It's just awoken now, because of Toshin."
He stared at her, wanting to pretend she was lying, or like it was some bad dream, and that he was still sleeping on his pile of study books. But the fire, the road, the people, everything… it was all too real to ignore. And the sound of Xiaoyu's crying really sunk into his heart, filling with regret in true realisation of his actions, as small pieces of his memory flashed before his eyes at the mindless things he'd done. Now with full control, he wasn't just some beast, unleashed from the cage for the first time. He was truly himself.
Without any other concern on his mind, he turned back to Xiaoyu and went back to her, kneeling down to her, bringing her small frame against him.
"This isn't your fault," he said softly, his voice starting to shake slightly. "None of this is. It's just what was meant to be. One day, this would have come out, by whatever means…"
"Jin," she mumbled, hugging him tightly.
"I'm such a monster," he said, on the verge of breaking down.
"No… no, you're not," Xiaoyu answered, making him look at her. "That stupid, ugly Toshin was the monster. How could you compare? You actually have emotions and a good heart. King was always right about you, always doing the right thing. Always helping others."
He didn't say anything to that, just smiling. The demonic red in his eyes faded back to their usual deep brown, the anger and darkness brought with the demon settling in his soul. He wrapped his black, feathered wings around the young girl as he hugged her more firmly, thankful for her being.
Anna relaxed properly for the first time that night, blowing out a sigh.
Hwoarang snorted. "Just great! We fight, get our asses kicked, trying to talk some sense and in the end, all we needed was a crying little girl to make things better. This is typical sappy crap!"
Anna turned with a harsh look on her face. "Hwoarang, shut the hell up! You have no idea, do you? It's all death and destruction with you. Kill this and kill that, your only way to resolve. And you'd have done that to my sister too if I hadn't have been here. Oh, in fact…" The young woman stood up and strode confidently to the steaming remains of Toshin. Without even cringing, she picked up a nice sized piece of flayed Toshin carcass and stormed back to the Korean, throwing it in his lap. "Here you go, your prove of a mission successful. Now you can go get your reward."
Hwoarang looked down at the piece of meat and back up to her, maybe even a little sadness in his eyes. "Anna, I…"
Sirens were sounding in the distance, and the Irish born detective wasn't going to hear anymore of him. "Sounds like our business is finished. You don't want to be sticking around with that nasty reputation you've got nailed to your back. I'd just go if I was you. And that'll be the end of it."
There were no more words, just eyes doing the talking. A silent exchange that seemed so wanting, though more dismissing when it came to Anna and the final decision was made. Hwoarang got up, carrying what bits of artillery he had and the piece of Toshin carcass and he was gone, as simple as that. The cloak of shadows took him from her sights and Anna quivered, turning instead back to her sister.
The sirens were louder and clearer as a group of IPD squad cars came wailing into the small street. Anna was actually surprised, turning to them with a little confusion.
"How… How'd they know we were…" She stopped and slowly turned to look at Forest, who broke a coy smile and she finally understood. "You," she spoke up to him. "You weren't talking to yourself in your hotel room earlier. You were giving them a tip off in our general direction."
"I do have a few good ideas," he said with a big grin. "Though, better late then never."
"I'm glad they didn't turn up early actually," she said with a sigh. "Who knows what would have happened then."
Eddy Gordo got out the first car that came to a stop, surveying the war zone-like area.
"Boy I missed one hell of a party," he said, whistling at the damage.
"Hmm, more like a gate-crashing," Anna answered.
Eddy finally noticed the mess pile of Toshin's remains. "That our bad guy?"
"I'll let you put the handcuffs on him." Anna winked, eyes falling to Nina. "And if you don't mind, I need to get my sister to a hospital. She's had a rough time."
"I'd think so," the Brazilian said.
"Holy sh- FREEZE!" Half the squad of IPD officers was putting up their guns, as they'd just taken notice of Jin's form knelt off to a side with Xiaoyu in his arms.
The Chinese girl screamed and buried her face into her companion's chest. Jin hesitated, holding her protectively.
"STOP! STOP!" Forest was shouting. "It's okay! He's on our side! Put up your guns!"
"Is he serious?" Eddy asked Anna.
She nodded. "Yeah, he's with us. No worries." Petting her sister's hair, there was nothing but relief. 'This is the end,' she thought inwardly. 'The treat is over. We can finally call it quits.'
*********************************************************************************
A/N: Hurray! Practically finished now! Just the Epilogue to go then it's over! Hope you've been enjoying the action - I'll bring the story to a nice conclusion. Until then, see ya!
By Indigo Siren
Disclaimer: Tekken is © to Namco, and that all characters mentioned from under this label are only used in this fan fiction for entertainment purposes only. No money is being made from this story; it is just for fun. I do however own the basic concept and characters of my own creation.
Chapter 15
"It was him… he killed Toshin…" Hwoarang said.
Neither one of the three looked away from this new form of Jin. It was strange to see this undiscovered side suddenly emerged. Half-human, half demon. Power that coursed with intensity through his body.
"I thought he was dead?" Forest said confused.
Anna was just staring at him, her mind turning over everything that had happened. At first, it was like she was a blank book, opened for the very first time. But soon she began realised - the memories appeared like invisible ink on the pages.
She may have just worked it all out - everything that could have been helpful earlier on.
"If only we'd had a sign before, it would have saved a lot of this carnage," Anna said softly.
"Huh?" Forest looked to her, still positioned protectively over Nina's fragile form.
"Toshin knew about the demons holding the power of the 'Red Eye', but it wasn't as simple as scouring all the stronger soul populous… it was something deeper, and Toshin had begun to figure out that maybe it was something locked deep down, that couldn't get out. And, that was true… I can feel it now. I couldn't before…"
"You're blabbering, can you simplify at all?" Hwoarang asked, hands tight around his gun. Stopping for a chat while a potentially dangerous demon stood in front of them wasn't exactly a good position to be in.
"Jin had purposely picked up strange visions for a reason. Because the 'Red Eye' could sense Toshin's want. Then it eventually realised it could call out to the power to draw it in. But Toshin can't take away what is a part of the essence of this demon; it had some of the power but not the true source of it. That's why it was unstable…"
"How do you know all this?" Hwoarang asked curiously.
"It's just obvious. And from what we've learned and seen, It's all summed up really," she said, and shook her head. "I had been curious to know if he'd been a demon at first, and I couldn't sense it. Maybe if I had looked just a little deeper…"
"The demon side was dormant then I suppose?" Forest asked.
"So dormant that he was fully human… until now," Anna concluded.
Red eyes narrowed and Jin let out a feral cry - anger, blood lust and animosity flowed across the half demon. His wings arched backwards and he was pouncing at them.
"Shit," Forest barely muttered, throwing himself out of the way.
"NO JIN!" Anna cried, unable to move with having to protect Nina.
With the incoming attack, Hwoarang was there to intercept. There was a brief second glance exchange between him and Anna who looked unsure by what he was doing, but his response was a simple smile, gone in a second as he held the gun across his chest, thrown backwards as Jin smashed into him.
The Korean dug his boots swiftly into the demon's torso and repelled him off over head. He'd hoped for him to have gone down for a few seconds, so he'd have enough time to get up again, but Jin had turned in mid-air and landed in a crouch, growling like a vicious dog.
The demon would have charged him again if Forest hadn't shot at him, the bullet whizzing miles off target. Jin slowly turned his head to the Chinese-American man, who jumped slightly when he noticed he'd been fixed as a target.
"Stay back," Forest said, suddenly wondering why he did, as it sounded so pathetic and whimpering.
Dark wings spread and Jin was lifted to cover the distance between the two. Forest would have stepped backwards, but a high front garden wall met his back and now Jin had grabbed him, digging sharp claws into his shoulders. Forest cried out, trying to struggle against him, but he was only agitating the hold, causing even more pain on himself.
The 'Devil-Jin' just regarded him as some kind of snivelling animal and tossed him aside without even thinking too much about it, instead, eyes coming to rest on the two women in the middle of the road.
Anna was positioned in front of her sister, locking eyes with Jin. It was sad to see that a nice, young man had become nothing but a hateful, dark monster. She was stuck with what to do next - move to try and stop him somehow or stay put to protect her prone sister?
'Got to try a bit of both,' she thought, shifting herself a few paces towards him, but ever keeping her sister within running distance. Jin growled, positioning down again, ready to pounce.
"Jin, this is wrong! I know you're not really like this," she pleaded, trying the same tactics like she'd done before. "You're just not used to this side of you. Please, understand what I'm saying. Stop this now while you still have the chance."
There was a pause; both locked still, staring at each other. His eyes flickered, maybe some kind of consciousness or memories brought to the surface. It gave Anna some hope, which rapidly faded as he snapped again, eyes still very demonic and he pounced up, suddenly in front of her, claw around her neck, lifting her off the ground. She choked, hands gripped around his vice like hold, trying to prise his fingers away. Her breathing was slowing; she couldn't fight for much longer - not enough air to let her think for her next course of action.
'Can't let it end like this…' She told herself, willing her eyes to stay open, to keep at it, but words wouldn't come from her lips and her prising turned to simple clawing feebly at his hand.
A cry was lifted to her ears and she watched a foot connect with the side of Jin's face. The sound was loud and heavy and the demon was sent stumbling, grip released and Anna fell to the ground, gasping for breath. Hwoarang once again had himself positioned between Anna and Jin.
"You think you can just brush me off, well guess again," Hwoarang snapped at the infuriated demon. He spun around sharply and gave his opponent another kick, this time, directly into the chest. Jin's reaction was a step back and nothing more. "Oh, so you acting all tough now?" Jin roared, cracking his neck with a chilling pop. Hwoarang looked abashed. "Not acting?" A second later, the bounty hunter received a punch in the face, catching him in the right side of the face and sending him sprawled backwards on the ground. "I guess not," he wheezed out.
"Jin…" Anna had covered over Nina, just in case of an attack on the downed girl. The demon cast a glance to her, but he suddenly froze up and slowly turned around, a slight moan filling the air. Attentions were averted to Xiaoyu, who was now up, looking rather disorientated.
The little Chinese girl blinked with partially blurry vision. Lots of little fires, the car a molten mess, the roadway a disaster area… and everyone else and no bit monster Toshin.
'I don't get it… how long have I been out?' She wondered, squinting as her vision began to clear. Her heart skipping a beat, she was sure that she could see Jin ahead of her, but there was just something about him that didn't seem right. 'He was dead… but now he's not… I-I don't get it…' A growl, deep and angry snapped her back to a clear reality in a second and she could see his face, like it was before, but now with red eyes, markings and an animalistic snarl. His whole form had demonically changed to match and Xiaoyu was shuddering, unbelieving.
"W-what…" She said, her voice almost lost to her shock.
Jin began to move towards her. Slow, stalking steps that were closing the distance between them easily. Xiaoyu wasn't moving - her eyes locked to his - frozen like a statue.
"XIAOYU!" Anna's voice was going on deaf ears. The Chinese girl's only focus was on the demon that had been her friend, hissing animal-like at her. It was when he got too close that her feet began to work and she was stepping backward, head shaking. No, this wasn't her friend.
"Jin… no… stay back," she said feebly. He growled and his hand snapped to stop her, gripping her shoulder, claws pricking at the skin. She squeaked - nothing more, barely able to do anything else as she stared into those red orbs - angry and hypnotic. 'Am I going to die?'
Anna didn't dare move, in case anything sudden would cause Jin to lash out on Xiaoyu, now within his grasp. She shaking sat up slowly, watching the pair, despairing that she would have another life on her conscience. After Julia, any more deaths because of Toshin's mess were enough to make her snap.
Xiaoyu was weakly sinking where she stood - fear and sadness wracking her body. The demon didn't exactly know how to react to this action - his prey usually fought back besides the fear it tasted - but somehow this felt different. There was fear, but something else…
"It… it is you…" She said, almost choking. She broke away from looking into his penetrating eyes, it becoming too much of a task with so much emotion practically at the back of her throat.
'No, Jin… don't hurt her,' Anna's mind called out, to see if he'd actually hear her. There was no response, just the demon paces away, standing with the weak girl at his mercy.
"This is my fault," Xiaoyu whimpered softly. "If… If only I'd known… And if I'd been stronger… I could have stopped what that monster did to you. You're my friend… my best friend and I let you die…"
On his wrist, Jin looked down as a tiny teardrop came to fall from her cheek. He could see her crying, heart broken sobs from deep down. And it wasn't from fear, just sympathy and sorrow. For him.
A feral demon like him couldn't understand at first, but it started to come to him. He could understand, through his anger and his hunger.
"You're the only person who only truly cared for me and I let this happen to you… let him change you… I'm sorry." She cried softly; the only reason she was still on her feet was because of his firm hand on her shoulder.
"What?" Xiaoyu heard that confused hoarse voice and looked up in surprise. In fact, it had everyone else in shock. He'd spoken for the first time, breaking through the primal instincts that were purely natural with a demon side.
His red eyes narrowed. "You don't understand… this is me…" Xiaoyu's eyes widened in disbelief. After that, he said nothing. He'd stopped dead, his own eyes widening. It was realisation. "This is me? I…" There was a second of uncertainty, and then he released her, and the girl sunk to her knees. Jin stepped back, shock gracing his features. The emotion made him look more human now then before.
"What the hell is going on?" Hwoarang muttered in a loud whisper to Anna, whom wasn't too far from where he'd sat back since having the attention turned from him. The auburn haired woman didn't look to him, instead just shrugging, trying to get her head around the situation.
"He didn't know… He just didn't realise," Anna said aloud to herself. "How can you stop when you don't know what's happened to you?"
Jin looked down on Xiaoyu as she still sobbed. He shook his head, tears coming to his own eyes as he searched for a mirror, to see what had become of him. Noticing a glimmer, he turned to the remains of the rental car and gathered himself to approach, coming to the glass shard pile, carefully picking up a decent sized piece, and looking at himself. The red eyes that stared back almost made him drop the glass piece. The markings, the wings, the claws… this wasn't him at all. He dropped the glass then and covered his face.
"No… this isn't right. How can this be me? What's happened!"
"It is you, Jin," he heard Anna say, really acknowledging her for the first time since regaining himself. "All along, the 'Red Eye' was the key, and not only to power, but to the truth about you. It's where you got your telepathy. Somewhere in your bloodline was a demon, Jin, and this is another side of you, beyond your human face. It's just awoken now, because of Toshin."
He stared at her, wanting to pretend she was lying, or like it was some bad dream, and that he was still sleeping on his pile of study books. But the fire, the road, the people, everything… it was all too real to ignore. And the sound of Xiaoyu's crying really sunk into his heart, filling with regret in true realisation of his actions, as small pieces of his memory flashed before his eyes at the mindless things he'd done. Now with full control, he wasn't just some beast, unleashed from the cage for the first time. He was truly himself.
Without any other concern on his mind, he turned back to Xiaoyu and went back to her, kneeling down to her, bringing her small frame against him.
"This isn't your fault," he said softly, his voice starting to shake slightly. "None of this is. It's just what was meant to be. One day, this would have come out, by whatever means…"
"Jin," she mumbled, hugging him tightly.
"I'm such a monster," he said, on the verge of breaking down.
"No… no, you're not," Xiaoyu answered, making him look at her. "That stupid, ugly Toshin was the monster. How could you compare? You actually have emotions and a good heart. King was always right about you, always doing the right thing. Always helping others."
He didn't say anything to that, just smiling. The demonic red in his eyes faded back to their usual deep brown, the anger and darkness brought with the demon settling in his soul. He wrapped his black, feathered wings around the young girl as he hugged her more firmly, thankful for her being.
Anna relaxed properly for the first time that night, blowing out a sigh.
Hwoarang snorted. "Just great! We fight, get our asses kicked, trying to talk some sense and in the end, all we needed was a crying little girl to make things better. This is typical sappy crap!"
Anna turned with a harsh look on her face. "Hwoarang, shut the hell up! You have no idea, do you? It's all death and destruction with you. Kill this and kill that, your only way to resolve. And you'd have done that to my sister too if I hadn't have been here. Oh, in fact…" The young woman stood up and strode confidently to the steaming remains of Toshin. Without even cringing, she picked up a nice sized piece of flayed Toshin carcass and stormed back to the Korean, throwing it in his lap. "Here you go, your prove of a mission successful. Now you can go get your reward."
Hwoarang looked down at the piece of meat and back up to her, maybe even a little sadness in his eyes. "Anna, I…"
Sirens were sounding in the distance, and the Irish born detective wasn't going to hear anymore of him. "Sounds like our business is finished. You don't want to be sticking around with that nasty reputation you've got nailed to your back. I'd just go if I was you. And that'll be the end of it."
There were no more words, just eyes doing the talking. A silent exchange that seemed so wanting, though more dismissing when it came to Anna and the final decision was made. Hwoarang got up, carrying what bits of artillery he had and the piece of Toshin carcass and he was gone, as simple as that. The cloak of shadows took him from her sights and Anna quivered, turning instead back to her sister.
The sirens were louder and clearer as a group of IPD squad cars came wailing into the small street. Anna was actually surprised, turning to them with a little confusion.
"How… How'd they know we were…" She stopped and slowly turned to look at Forest, who broke a coy smile and she finally understood. "You," she spoke up to him. "You weren't talking to yourself in your hotel room earlier. You were giving them a tip off in our general direction."
"I do have a few good ideas," he said with a big grin. "Though, better late then never."
"I'm glad they didn't turn up early actually," she said with a sigh. "Who knows what would have happened then."
Eddy Gordo got out the first car that came to a stop, surveying the war zone-like area.
"Boy I missed one hell of a party," he said, whistling at the damage.
"Hmm, more like a gate-crashing," Anna answered.
Eddy finally noticed the mess pile of Toshin's remains. "That our bad guy?"
"I'll let you put the handcuffs on him." Anna winked, eyes falling to Nina. "And if you don't mind, I need to get my sister to a hospital. She's had a rough time."
"I'd think so," the Brazilian said.
"Holy sh- FREEZE!" Half the squad of IPD officers was putting up their guns, as they'd just taken notice of Jin's form knelt off to a side with Xiaoyu in his arms.
The Chinese girl screamed and buried her face into her companion's chest. Jin hesitated, holding her protectively.
"STOP! STOP!" Forest was shouting. "It's okay! He's on our side! Put up your guns!"
"Is he serious?" Eddy asked Anna.
She nodded. "Yeah, he's with us. No worries." Petting her sister's hair, there was nothing but relief. 'This is the end,' she thought inwardly. 'The treat is over. We can finally call it quits.'
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A/N: Hurray! Practically finished now! Just the Epilogue to go then it's over! Hope you've been enjoying the action - I'll bring the story to a nice conclusion. Until then, see ya!