"So, are you doing anything later?"
"Such as...?"
Xion sighed and rapped on Hwoarang's skull with his knuckles.
"Helloooo? Dude it's your birthday, you've gotta be doing something!"
"Nope" Hwoarang replied, "besides, it's only my seventeenth, it's not as though I can get into a club or anything is it?"
"True" Xion had to agree, though he still didn't understand why Hwoarang actually didn't want to celebrate.
"I've got training tonight anyway, Baek's expecting me round."
"Fair enough. So you're sure you're not coming out?"
"No thanks, I'll stay in and get pissed or something" Hwoarang said, giving Xion a happy, goofy grin.
"Alright, I'll catch ya later then" Xion said, and walked back down the street. Hwoarang mounted his bike and brushed a bit of lint off the freshly painted surface. The old red colour was gone, now replaced by a lovely tu- tone purple, for two reasons really. It not only looked better, it also made the bike less identifiable, since Hwoarang had no intention of returning the stolen bike to its previous owner. It still had no number plates, but that wasn't a problem. Half the cars in the neighbourhood had no number plates. Considering this was supposed to be one of the worst cities in Korea, Hwoarang had grown to like it just fine.
He started the bike up and made his way to Baek's home. Baek was already in the courtyard as usual and Hwoarang joined him once he was changed.
"So, how's your birthday been so far?" Baek asked after they finished warming up.
"Just a normal day really, I can't really do much since I'm still too young to legally go to any clubs or anything." he replied. Baek laughed.
"Since when do you give a shit about what's legal?"
"I don't, but the bouncers aren't that stupid, they do actually check for ID."
Baek shrugged.
"Not even having any mates round?"
Hwoarang laughed. "Xion and Ripley might turn up later, but I doubt it, they'll be too bloody busy getting into street fights to be bothered."
"Well, I've got a shit load of unopened beer taking up room in the fridge if you want me to bring it round later."
Hwoarang smiled gratefully. "Sure."
"Okay, I'll come round at about seven."
Hwoarang nodded, and the sparring began. Twice he won Baek, then lost because the bright sunlight blinded him and he missed a block.
Baek held out a hand to pull him up, and he dusted himself down.
"Do you want to leave it for today?" Baek suggested. Hwoarang agreed and went to get changed. He folded his Gi and put it in his bag, pulled his jeans back on and t-shirt. He went back out and said goodbye to Baek, then left, figuring he may as well go and see Wing to quell the boredom. He rode quite slowly to the warehouse, knowing Wing would probably be there. And indeed he was. Wing greeted the redhead with a friendly hug.
"Happy birthday Talon" he said.
"Thanks Wing, any fights goin' on today?"
Wing shook his head. "Not today, the Hoods are still recovering from the last time you pasted them all into the asphalt." Hwoarang laughed.
"You're the best fighter I've ever had Talon, where in God's name did you learn to fight like that?"
"Well, Baek's a good teacher" Hwoarang told him.
"No way" the older boy said "Baek Doo San?"
Hwoarang nodded.
"He taught me too! Though, I was never as good as you. You have a natural talent, I'm just good at making bets on fighters."
They stood outside the warehouse talking for a while. Wing was astounded that Hwoarang had been learning Tae Kwon Do for less than a year. Wing was laughing at something Hwoarang had said, when his expression turned cold and hard. Hwoarang turned around and saw Black approaching with two of his gang members. Wing walked over to him, and Hwoarang followed closely behind.
"What are you doing here?" Wing asked coldly. Black shrugged.
"Just passing by, if that's okay with you?" he replied, smirking.
"No, it's not okay. Get the fuck off my territory Black, you're not welcome here" Wing warned, his anger building. Hwoarang stepped up beside him and glared at Black.
"Piss off man, okay?" he said "you're not wanted here, and take your rent- boys with you."
"I'm not wanted here?" Black said, pretending to be shocked "how about you? You're not wanted by your own fucking family you orphan!"
That was low. Hwoarang let out a short, bitter laugh and looked down at the concrete floor of the parking lot. His fists clenched and he lashed out at Black without thinking, catching him off guard and sending him crashing to the floor.
Black was stunned. He picked himself up and wiped at his face. Blood was pouring from a gash in his cheek.
"What are you waiting for?!" he screamed at the other two who were with him "SHOOT THE BASTARDS!!!"
They pulled out handguns and aimed them both at Wing. Hwoarang grabbed Wing's wrist and pulled him down, then ran back towards the alleyway leading to the town. Gunfire echoed around the. People in the streets heard it too; dropping groceries in shock and pulling their children close protectively. The boys ran as fast as they could manage and turned sharply, still hearing their pursuers behind them. They sprinted up the narrow alley, knocking over crates and trashcans, totally giving away their position. Sirens came from the distance, and for a moment, they thought the Hoods had given up the chase until Black appeared around the corner, holding one of the handguns and aiming for Wing.
"Fuck you Black" Wing choked out "You'll never be better then us..."
"Wing, I'm the one holding the gun, I think I'm better already!" he reminded them.
The wall behind them was too high to climb, but Hwoarang noticed a fire escape on the side of a building. He could reach it easily.
Black was advancing on them, but then so were the police, Hwoarang could hear them searching the alleys. He acted on impulse and called out.
"HEY!!! HEY, DOWN HERE!!!"
He saw panic flash across Black's face, then his expression returned to normal. "Stupid bloody kid" he said, raising the gun and pointing the muzzle at Wing. Wing let out a frightened breath. A cop appeared around the corner.
"Stop!" he shouted to Black, startling him. Wing cried out and there was a flash, Hwoarang hit the floor and groaned in pain. Another flash, and he felt something heavy land on his chest, knocking the wind out of him. He could hear Black screaming in the background at someone to 'let go of me, you pig!!!' He looked down and felt a sharp pain run up his side and down his leg. Wing lay across him, breathing heavily. There was blood.....
Hwoarang couldn't look, but he felt Wing grasp his hand. "Here..." he said, blood spitting out of his mouth. He handed Hwoarang a ring, silver with a blood-red stone set in its middle. His leaders ring.
"You take it. If anyone succeeds me, I want it to be you Talon."
Hwoarang took the ring, but didn't put it on.
"Succeeds you? Why, you're not dying, you're gonna be fine, Wing!!!" Wing let out a choked laugh; it hurt like a mother to talk.
"He got me...in the lung...I'm not gonna get though this..."
"Wing, I can't" the redheaded boy protested, "I'm not a leader, I can't do this!"
Wing lifted his head as much as he could and grabbed Hwoarang's shirt. "You have to, please, do it for me... happy birthday...Blood Talon."
Wing's grip released. He coughed once more, and then lay still. Hwoarang stared at the body of his friend. A tear slid down his cheek, and he bit his lip hard to keep from sobbing. Black was still screaming obscenities as the police dragged him away, but Hwoarang heard nothing. He clutched at his side and found blood soaking through his shirt. It hurt. A cop came over and knelt next to him.
"Are you okay son?" Hwoarang didn't answer, but the officer saw the blood on his shirt. He looked at the lifeless face of Wing and called another officer over.
"Come on" he said to Hwoarang soothingly "let's get you to the hospital." He helped he boy to his feet and supported him back to a patrol car. Hwoarang looked back at Wing as he was lifted onto a stretcher and carried away. Tears came quickly this time, cascading down his face and mixing with the blood and sweat on his cheeks. He sat in the back of the car in silence, twisting the ring around his finger. Blood Talon, Wing had called him, giving him the title reserved for the gang leader. Well, Blood Talon was pissed, and Blood Talon wanted revenge. But then, he had already just had the pleasure of seeing Black dragged into another patrol car in handcuffs. Without their leader, the Hoods would be out of action for a long time, and the fiery redhead vowed to keep it that way.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ahh another one done, I'm flying through this lol!! R+R I command ye! Or else I'll....erm...yeah...hope you enjoyed it so far! ^_^ Kaine xx
"Such as...?"
Xion sighed and rapped on Hwoarang's skull with his knuckles.
"Helloooo? Dude it's your birthday, you've gotta be doing something!"
"Nope" Hwoarang replied, "besides, it's only my seventeenth, it's not as though I can get into a club or anything is it?"
"True" Xion had to agree, though he still didn't understand why Hwoarang actually didn't want to celebrate.
"I've got training tonight anyway, Baek's expecting me round."
"Fair enough. So you're sure you're not coming out?"
"No thanks, I'll stay in and get pissed or something" Hwoarang said, giving Xion a happy, goofy grin.
"Alright, I'll catch ya later then" Xion said, and walked back down the street. Hwoarang mounted his bike and brushed a bit of lint off the freshly painted surface. The old red colour was gone, now replaced by a lovely tu- tone purple, for two reasons really. It not only looked better, it also made the bike less identifiable, since Hwoarang had no intention of returning the stolen bike to its previous owner. It still had no number plates, but that wasn't a problem. Half the cars in the neighbourhood had no number plates. Considering this was supposed to be one of the worst cities in Korea, Hwoarang had grown to like it just fine.
He started the bike up and made his way to Baek's home. Baek was already in the courtyard as usual and Hwoarang joined him once he was changed.
"So, how's your birthday been so far?" Baek asked after they finished warming up.
"Just a normal day really, I can't really do much since I'm still too young to legally go to any clubs or anything." he replied. Baek laughed.
"Since when do you give a shit about what's legal?"
"I don't, but the bouncers aren't that stupid, they do actually check for ID."
Baek shrugged.
"Not even having any mates round?"
Hwoarang laughed. "Xion and Ripley might turn up later, but I doubt it, they'll be too bloody busy getting into street fights to be bothered."
"Well, I've got a shit load of unopened beer taking up room in the fridge if you want me to bring it round later."
Hwoarang smiled gratefully. "Sure."
"Okay, I'll come round at about seven."
Hwoarang nodded, and the sparring began. Twice he won Baek, then lost because the bright sunlight blinded him and he missed a block.
Baek held out a hand to pull him up, and he dusted himself down.
"Do you want to leave it for today?" Baek suggested. Hwoarang agreed and went to get changed. He folded his Gi and put it in his bag, pulled his jeans back on and t-shirt. He went back out and said goodbye to Baek, then left, figuring he may as well go and see Wing to quell the boredom. He rode quite slowly to the warehouse, knowing Wing would probably be there. And indeed he was. Wing greeted the redhead with a friendly hug.
"Happy birthday Talon" he said.
"Thanks Wing, any fights goin' on today?"
Wing shook his head. "Not today, the Hoods are still recovering from the last time you pasted them all into the asphalt." Hwoarang laughed.
"You're the best fighter I've ever had Talon, where in God's name did you learn to fight like that?"
"Well, Baek's a good teacher" Hwoarang told him.
"No way" the older boy said "Baek Doo San?"
Hwoarang nodded.
"He taught me too! Though, I was never as good as you. You have a natural talent, I'm just good at making bets on fighters."
They stood outside the warehouse talking for a while. Wing was astounded that Hwoarang had been learning Tae Kwon Do for less than a year. Wing was laughing at something Hwoarang had said, when his expression turned cold and hard. Hwoarang turned around and saw Black approaching with two of his gang members. Wing walked over to him, and Hwoarang followed closely behind.
"What are you doing here?" Wing asked coldly. Black shrugged.
"Just passing by, if that's okay with you?" he replied, smirking.
"No, it's not okay. Get the fuck off my territory Black, you're not welcome here" Wing warned, his anger building. Hwoarang stepped up beside him and glared at Black.
"Piss off man, okay?" he said "you're not wanted here, and take your rent- boys with you."
"I'm not wanted here?" Black said, pretending to be shocked "how about you? You're not wanted by your own fucking family you orphan!"
That was low. Hwoarang let out a short, bitter laugh and looked down at the concrete floor of the parking lot. His fists clenched and he lashed out at Black without thinking, catching him off guard and sending him crashing to the floor.
Black was stunned. He picked himself up and wiped at his face. Blood was pouring from a gash in his cheek.
"What are you waiting for?!" he screamed at the other two who were with him "SHOOT THE BASTARDS!!!"
They pulled out handguns and aimed them both at Wing. Hwoarang grabbed Wing's wrist and pulled him down, then ran back towards the alleyway leading to the town. Gunfire echoed around the. People in the streets heard it too; dropping groceries in shock and pulling their children close protectively. The boys ran as fast as they could manage and turned sharply, still hearing their pursuers behind them. They sprinted up the narrow alley, knocking over crates and trashcans, totally giving away their position. Sirens came from the distance, and for a moment, they thought the Hoods had given up the chase until Black appeared around the corner, holding one of the handguns and aiming for Wing.
"Fuck you Black" Wing choked out "You'll never be better then us..."
"Wing, I'm the one holding the gun, I think I'm better already!" he reminded them.
The wall behind them was too high to climb, but Hwoarang noticed a fire escape on the side of a building. He could reach it easily.
Black was advancing on them, but then so were the police, Hwoarang could hear them searching the alleys. He acted on impulse and called out.
"HEY!!! HEY, DOWN HERE!!!"
He saw panic flash across Black's face, then his expression returned to normal. "Stupid bloody kid" he said, raising the gun and pointing the muzzle at Wing. Wing let out a frightened breath. A cop appeared around the corner.
"Stop!" he shouted to Black, startling him. Wing cried out and there was a flash, Hwoarang hit the floor and groaned in pain. Another flash, and he felt something heavy land on his chest, knocking the wind out of him. He could hear Black screaming in the background at someone to 'let go of me, you pig!!!' He looked down and felt a sharp pain run up his side and down his leg. Wing lay across him, breathing heavily. There was blood.....
Hwoarang couldn't look, but he felt Wing grasp his hand. "Here..." he said, blood spitting out of his mouth. He handed Hwoarang a ring, silver with a blood-red stone set in its middle. His leaders ring.
"You take it. If anyone succeeds me, I want it to be you Talon."
Hwoarang took the ring, but didn't put it on.
"Succeeds you? Why, you're not dying, you're gonna be fine, Wing!!!" Wing let out a choked laugh; it hurt like a mother to talk.
"He got me...in the lung...I'm not gonna get though this..."
"Wing, I can't" the redheaded boy protested, "I'm not a leader, I can't do this!"
Wing lifted his head as much as he could and grabbed Hwoarang's shirt. "You have to, please, do it for me... happy birthday...Blood Talon."
Wing's grip released. He coughed once more, and then lay still. Hwoarang stared at the body of his friend. A tear slid down his cheek, and he bit his lip hard to keep from sobbing. Black was still screaming obscenities as the police dragged him away, but Hwoarang heard nothing. He clutched at his side and found blood soaking through his shirt. It hurt. A cop came over and knelt next to him.
"Are you okay son?" Hwoarang didn't answer, but the officer saw the blood on his shirt. He looked at the lifeless face of Wing and called another officer over.
"Come on" he said to Hwoarang soothingly "let's get you to the hospital." He helped he boy to his feet and supported him back to a patrol car. Hwoarang looked back at Wing as he was lifted onto a stretcher and carried away. Tears came quickly this time, cascading down his face and mixing with the blood and sweat on his cheeks. He sat in the back of the car in silence, twisting the ring around his finger. Blood Talon, Wing had called him, giving him the title reserved for the gang leader. Well, Blood Talon was pissed, and Blood Talon wanted revenge. But then, he had already just had the pleasure of seeing Black dragged into another patrol car in handcuffs. Without their leader, the Hoods would be out of action for a long time, and the fiery redhead vowed to keep it that way.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ahh another one done, I'm flying through this lol!! R+R I command ye! Or else I'll....erm...yeah...hope you enjoyed it so far! ^_^ Kaine xx