Chapter Three: No Man Is An Island

Koori no Miko: I'm back ya'll! Your reviews are encouraging me to write more, so keep 'em coming! You don't know how my face lights up when a new review is emailed to me. I just want to express my deep appreciation to all those who have been reading and reviewing my fic so far. I'm glad you like this story even though it's far-fetched (I think you guys are starting to hate this word because I use it a lot!). Thank you, salamat, xie xie, domo arigato gozaimasu, merci, muchas gracias. Six different languages aren't enough to thank you for reading and reviewing. Now...

Strange lights were flashing over the sky above him. He didn't know where he was, but he was happy. He was all alone, and there was no one to bother him. This was a place with no suffering, no pain, and no death. Just lights...

Jin's eyes flew open. He sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes.

"Ouch", he moaned, his whole body aching as if it never had before.

Suddenly, something hit him. Something very strange.

"Where am I?" he asked softly. "And why am I still alive?"

He looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings. The room was definitely not his. The hotel he was staying in didn't have such elegant furnishings. Also, the room was distinctly feminine. He was just debating what to do when the door opened.

"You're awake", he heard a relieved female voice say.

The girl closed the door behind her, taking away the glare of the florescent lamp outside. When she looked up at him, Jin raised an eyebrow. He had to admit, she was beautiful. Beautiful in an exotic kind of way with long dark brown hair and dark brown eyes.

"You saved me?" he asked her.

"Not me", she replied. "A friend of mine did. He brought you here to my place so that I could attend to your injuries. You're lucky, no one could've survived a car crash with only bruises".

"May I ask who your friend is?" Jin asked, his suspicions aroused.

"Hwoarang", the lady replied, a wry smile spreading across her lips.

"What?" Jin asked in disbelief.

"I know you're surprised", his companion smiled briefly. "Hwoarang told me about the history you guys had as rivals. I was surprised myself, but he had his reasons".

"Which are?" Jin pressed.

"First, he wanted to show that he isn't such a bad person", the girl answered. "Next, he wanted to give you a chance to settle your duel".

Jin sighed deeply. He knew that was coming.

"How about you tell me your name?" the girl asked him.

"Is that important?" Jin retorted.

The girl crossed her arms over her chest. She looked at Jin in a way he couldn't describe.

"Look, I just helped save your ass", she said. "The least thing you could do is to tell me your name so that I can call you by your proper name".

"I don't know if that'll be necessary", Jin replied coldly.

"Yes, it will", the girl smiled slyly.

Jin stared at her for a full minute without saying anything.

"What makes you so sure?" he challenged her.

"You have serious injuries, sir", the girl answered. "You'll have to stay here for a couple of days. You'll notice that your body will hurt a lot when you stand".

Jin wanted to kill the girl, but he knew she was right.

"Very well, you win", he consented. "My name is Jin Kazama".

"I'm Christie Monteiro", his companion replied.

Jin made no move to answer her. He remained silent.

"Tell me, what made you decide to crash your car?" Christie asked, breaking the silence.

"None of your business", Jin mumbled.

"You're right, I shouldn't intrude", Christie said sincerely. "Would you like something eat?"

Jin felt tempted. He WAS hungry. He hadn't eaten since he escaped from the forest. But he couldn't just tell Christie he was hungry.

"I – "

His growling stomach interrupted him. Christie laughed.

"I get the picture. Just wait here, OK?"

She left the room, closing the door behind her.

This is funny, Jin thought. I never remembered the last time someone was so kind to me.

As he pondered on that, the door opened again. He turned to see a tall, redheaded Korean youth in the doorway. He groaned.

"It's you", he sighed accusingly. "I suppose I should thank you".

"That's all the thanks I get?" Hwoarang asked, striding purposefully into the room. "I shouldn't have saved you, then. How ungrateful can you get?"

"That's right", Jin said quietly. "You shouldn't have saved me".

Hwoarang stared at the Japanese youth in surprise.

"Excuse me?" he asked. "Have I heard you right?"

"Yeah", Jin said with a scornful laugh. "I wanted to die".

"What's to die for, Kazama?!?!" Hwoarang exclaimed. "You have everything!"

"Wrong!" Jin shot back. "I have nothing left to live for!"

"Whoa, don't get so hot all of a sudden!" Hwoarang advised. "That's my department".

Jin became quiet again. He hated it when his anger got the best of him.

"Don't kill yourself just yet", Hwoarang said. "We haven't finished our duel yet".

"Is that all you think about?" Jin sighed. "You could focus on more important things".

"Well, you two look like two arguing preschoolers", Christie commented as she entered the room. "Here you go, Kazama. I'm sorry, I'm not much of a cook".

"Never mind", Jin said, trying to be civil. "Thank you".

He gobbled up the food Christie gave him, savoring every bite.

"You really are hungry", Christie laughed. "Would you like some more?"

"Tempting, but risky", Jin answered in his usual monotone.

"I'll go now, Christie", Hwoarang announced, rising. "I still have to confirm if G Corporation had really shut down and – "

"Genocell has shut down?!?!" Jin exclaimed, suddenly coming to life.

"It's only a rumor", Hwoarang replied, surprised at Jin's reaction. "What got you so worked up? You immediately looked alive when I said that".

Jin looked down. He knew there was no way out of this. His reaction gave away his secret. The only way to keep things going smoothly was to tell them everything.

"I...I was born with the devil gene in my blood", he confessed.

"Holy shit...", Hwoarang remarked softly.

"Impossible...", Christie added.

"It's true", Jin confirmed. "And I feel its influence become stronger and stronger everyday. That's why I tried to commit suicide. If I died, the devil would go away and no one would be hurt. And I'm trying to find out the origin of the devil cells".

"I think I can be of help to you", Christie said slowly. "I have a friend that works as a researcher in G Corporation. Maybe I can ask her to grant access to the files".

"You'd really help me?" Jin asked, amazed.

"Why not?" Christie replied, smiling. "You have a perfectly sane reason for everything. And even if I don't get my friend to help us, we have Hwoarang".

"A hacker, a punk and a soldier all in one", Hwoarang grinned. "I'll help you in this if you promise to fight me when all of this is over".

"What a simple condition", Jin remarked coolly. "I accept".

He looked out the window and saw the crescent moon hovering above him

I know what it means this time, he thought. There are some people in this world that I can trust. No man is an island, and I am no exception from that rule.

He wasn't showing any emotion on the outside, but inside he was rejoicing. This was the first time in a while that someone had actually shown care for him.

Perhaps I can make it, he thought, renewed determination stirring.

To Be Continued...