(a/n): Hey everyone. Once again I'm back to post yet another chapter. I have nothing much to say except for that I am feeling down for quite some time now. *Sigh* If only it was so easy to forget. Anyway, I won't bother you with my problems so moving on with the story.
Chapter8: Secrets
Jin was quiet when Xiaoyu met him at lunch the next day. He had a very thin bandage on his left eyebrow and on his right cheek. Xiao tried to make a conversation with him but he had avoided her and changed the subject during the ride to school.
The school day is almost done with and she can't get him out of her mind. She wonders what did Heihachi do to him and why was he bruised everywhere? Did he spar with Heihachi? Or did they have an argument and Jin was punished? She found it weird how at breakfast, Heihachi and Jin hasn't said a word to each other.
She isn't going to wait any longer; she needs to talk to him. She knew it will be hard because Jin is not a talkative type of person and probably would want to change the subject. She doesn't doubt it because she doesn't know him for a long time and he is a very quiet person. He always keeps everything to himself and keeps everything inside of him. He never even talks about his problems. Jin was just a whole big mystery to her.
Xiao looked at the clock and it was 2:28. School is over at 2:30 and the time is crawling like a turtle. She couldn't take it anymore. She didn't like when people avoided her, she thought it was wrong for people to hide their feelings and keep them inside. She knew it hurts more when you hide your feelings because all the negative energy stays inside. That is why she wants to talk to him because she cares.
"Xiaoyu, what do you think the answer is?" The voice of her teacher's slapped her back into reality and she was completely lost. "Huh?" She asked and looked on the board and saw math problems there. "Sleeping in my class again, Ms. Ling?" The teacher's perky voice has asked. "That will be one point off your final grade if you won't answer that problem, Ms. Ling." Xiaoyu's heart raced as she thrived to find out the answer of the last question on the board. But she wasn't even sure if that is the question she was suppose to answer.
"Um…the answer is—" The bell rang and everybody packed up their books. Saved by the bell. Xiaoyu thought as she began to do the same. "Ms. Ling, you will be the first to answer on the first question on the Do Now and I would like your guardian to come up to the Parent-Teacher Conference." "Yes, Mrs. Tasalo." With that Xiaoyu left quickly. She didn't want to hear any more words come out of her math teacher's mouth. What can be worse than a math teacher? Xiaoyu entertained herself with her thoughts a little.
She hated Math teachers; all they care about are math problems. She isn't even going to use these formulas for her future and the teachers get so mad if you don't know the answer, especially Mrs. Tasalo. She didn't even know who she wants to be yet, but she definitely knows she won't become a mathematician or a math teacher. She doesn't want that in her life after this.
Xiaoyu quickly ran out of the classroom as she put her notebook into her backpack. "Xiaoyu, I was not finished with you!" She heard her math teacher scream behind her but she already got out into the hallway with other kids and the teacher couldn't find her. She happily exited the school and saw a limo parked near the gates. She didn't know if Jin was inside, but she had to do a lot of talking with him. She won't let this happen to him.
She came up to the car and looked inside the open window and saw no one was in there. She frowned and leaned against the car as she waited for him.
Well, he didn't get out until almost all the kids left. He was probably the last kid out of the school, but then again, it wouldn't take a genius to guess why was he late. After all, Heihachi is the principle and probably wanted to talk to Jin about something.
"Hey." Xiaoyu said to him when he approached her. He nodded in return and went inside the car as she followed. "Jin, what's wrong?" She asked him as she made herself comfortable and looked straight into his eyes. But his eyes never met her. He was looking in different direction, avoiding her eyes. He looked like he was hiding. He made himself preoccupied with the seatbelt. He seemed to be in a hurry to fasten it, too. Xiaoyu thought he was nervous about something, she never saw him like this before.
"Jin, what's wrong?" She repeated her question again, this time sounding very serious. "Nothing." She heard him mumble under his breath as he took out a book to read. "Jin, quit it. You obviously can't read when you are in the car. You can get carsick." She said as she observed his eyes that were glued to the text. "Jin?" She asked again.
"Do you know what's a uranium bullet used in the U.S. army?" Xiaoyu pasted a very confusing face of what type of subjects he picks. "The bullets' shells are covered with depleted uranium." "Jin, what is this all of a sudden?" He ignored her question. "Did you know that they might cause cancer? And if it's true, why are they risking it?" Xiaoyu shrugged. "How am I supposed to know? And what is this!? Why are you talking about this? Who cares? I mean, U.S.? Why are you talking about America? Wait, you are not planning on going there, are you?"
Once again he ignored her question, still his eyes are glued to the text. "These bullets penetrate the tank like a hot knife through butter. But, there is a defense system set up now, after World War II." "JIN!!!!" She nearly screamed his name out and he still didn't look at her. He was stuttering. "In my physics class, the teacher said that before the uranium bullets were even thought of, they used something else. These special kind of bullet contain a chemical inside which would react and burn a hot gas of plasma and make a hole in the tank with mere seconds. But first I forgot to mention that it attaches to the tank before all of that happens. They are obsolete because—"
Jin faltered when he noticed Xiaoyu's mouth drop to the floor. "I think the Russians created this defense and everybody started using it." Jin started to talk the geek language again. But she noticed that he changed the subject completely. Xiaoyu couldn't get her jaw back in place so this time she held Jin by his shoulders and pushed him back in the seat. He noticed her for the first time and shut his trap. "Jin, I don't want to know what you learned in your physics class. I want to know what happened last night." She looked deep into his eyes but he looked away.
"Jin? Look, I know all of this fascinate you but you never talked about it before and all of a sudden you talk about chemical reaction, bullets, cancer? What are they teaching you in physics? Wait don't answer that. I want you to tell me what happened last night." Jin kept quiet as he was looking out the window. "Jin?" He didn't look at her. She frowned and took his chin with her hands so he looked at her but he resisted. "Jin, what's wrong?"
"Mr. Kazama, we are here." Xiao heard the driver say as the car stopped. "I have to talk to Heihachi." Jin said as he pushed her hands away from him and walked out of the car. Xiao sat back and folded her hands. "Why do you keep secrets from me, Jin?" Xiaoyu thought a little. "Wait a minute." She said to particularly no one. "Heihachi was at the School." She looked up at Jin but he was gone through the front doors.
(a/n): In the next chap, Xiaoyu won't let Jin get away this easy. She would want to know the truth.