I keep having to change the summary of this story 'cause it keeps changing into different
things, not quite what I expected. Yeah, I only generally know what will happen, dunno
until it's down on my laptop. In fact, even then, I might change the story if I suddenly
think it's stupid. So... be patient with my tinkering. ,v,,
Gado was seriously dismayed by Long's failure to cheer up his daughter. The Kenpo
master had explained what happened, but neither of them could make heads or tails of it.
One moment, the woman was happy and amused, and the next, silent as a stone and
enraged beyond all reason. Something must have happened while Long and Uriko were
inside that store, leaving Shina alone outside.
One attempt had been made to find out what it was, and then it was made by Long
because Gado thought Shina might be tired of his paternal meddling/worrying. He knew
she could handle herself, but he had the nagging suspicion that this all had to do with
ShenLong, because that was when this had all started, and that was one influence he
didn't want around his daughter.
Long found Shina in the place that was virtually her home now, the gym. Admittedly,
it was a very comfortable gym, with a couch, TVs, padded walls, and enough exercise
machines and free weights for an army. No matter how comfortable, though, Long could
tell Shina's body was starting to wear under the punishment of almost never leaving.
As he watched from the doorway, every punch seemed to strain her more and more,
until she started to lean against the punching bag instead of attack it. It was then that
Long made his entrance.
"Shina," the clear voice made her jump tiredly, turning to face him with her back leaned
up against one of the padded walls. She seemed to have worked off a little of her anger
with the majority of her energy, because the look she gave him was at least open,
questioning without words what he wanted from her.
Long hesitated for a moment, trying to decide how best to approach her. In the end
he decided to be understanding, but honest and straight forward. She seemed like the
kind of woman who appreciated absolute honesty.
"I ...want to ask you what happened the other day in Paris," he began, fixing her with
kind eyes. But he stopped when her face shut down, suddenly on guard. This frustrated
Long terribly and he had to force himself to take a deep breath and keep speaking. "You
were happy for a couple of hours, what happened? Your father and I ...I'm worried about
you."
He took a step towards her with his hand half-raised to her, but he stopped and let his
hand fall back to his side when she turned her back to him. Her energy seemed
renewed, because she let fly a forceful right hook to the punching bag.
"Nothing happened." Her voice sounded muffled, as though she were speaking through
clenched teeth, but he couldn't be sure because she was facing away. "I just ...got
tired of shopping."
Long stood watching the young woman take out her frustrations, not saying anything
for a while. Shina started to think he had gone, was relieved that she wouldn't have
to answer any of his awkward questions. Her face burned with humiliation every time
she thought of the incident and she didn't want to share that with the handsome Chinese
scholar.
Then she felt a gentle touch on her right shoulder. In her mind, she knew it was Long,
but her body reacted quickly of its own accord. She spun on the ball of one foot and
brought the other up in a snap kick towards his abdomen.
He was obviously surprised but very quick on his feet because her heel missed him
by an inch; he'd thrown himself backwards when he surmised her intent. Looking at
him, Shina realized there were reasons he'd been a top assassin.
For a moment, they both froze where they were, Shina in a fighting stance, breathing
hard, Long with his hands loosely at his sides, staring at her. Then slowly he raised
his hands before him and took a fighting stance as well. If she needed to work out
her frustrations on something living, he would oblige while making sure she didn't hurt
anybody, least of all herself.
Even the floors were padded, so even when Long swept her legs out from under her
with one foot, she wasn't too stunned and she managed to roll away and up to her
feet before his heel descended on her stomach. Once on her feet, she got in one
punch to Long's side, under his ribcage, before he caught her wrist and released
three jabs to her own side under her arm.
Hissing with pain, she pulling back away from him, the length of both their arms,
and swept up her foot in crescent, catching him across the face. Released, she stepped
back, but not in time to get out of range of his own feet. The Kenpo master had
kicked her in the midsection twice and up under her chin before she had even blinked.
Something occurred to her, a nagging memory coming to the surface. The sudden
look of realization on her face stopped Long from closing the distance between them
again.
"You ...could teach me your style," Shina said slowly, wiping her fingers at the bit
of blood seeping from the corner of her mouth. She'd just remembered that ShenLong's
style of fighting was very like Long's. If she was taught by one, she could counter the
other.
Long was on the verge of refusing because he suspected her reasons for wanting to
learn were less than the search for enlightenment. But it would allow him to keep an
eye on her and maybe ...she needed it. He took a deep breath and let out a slow
sigh. Shina was staring at him, as if the whole matter was much more important than
it seemed. That, more than anything, made him nod. "All right."
She released a breath she'd been holding in almost a sob of relief. Working herself
as she had been hadn't made her any surer she could beat ShenLong, but she felt
positive that this would do the trick.
"Thank you, Master Jin." Her smile was sudden and lovely, even with the blood
on her mouth. He could feel her relief and it made him worry all the more. He
stood looking at her for so long, obviously thinking about something, that at first she
thought he might be reconsidering. Then he stepped back into his fighting stance
and beckoned her close.
"Let's see what else you have." And the training began.
No one asked her again what had happened when Long and Uriko went into the
shop, and her new course of training made her feel that at least she was doing
something constructive. She sparred with Uriko and Long, sometimes with just
Kenpo, other times with her own fighting style mixed in. Every day was filled with
exertion from dawn to dusk.
In reality, Shina was just waiting for ShenLong to show himself once more, and
doing what she could to prepare for that moment. She swore to herself that he
would not catch her unaware again.
I was already there, though she didn't know it. Gado's security was no joke, but
I'd been a professional, once upon a time. Both as myself and in Long's jumbled
memories. Sometimes it blurred together.
I watched my little Marvel push herself, then I watched Long push her as well. I
knew what she was doing. She was waiting to see me. I burned to show myself
to her, I really did. But I was so confused.. I didn't know exactly what I was doing.
That afternoon in Paris was me losing control. I'm not sure what came over me.
Sometimes I felt like a little child, wondering what was going on. I had so many
conflicting feelings inside of me. After Long had.. had.. what had he done? He
made me see the error of what I was doing. Made me see I was a puppet for
Busuzima. Shown me that I was a -clone- and not myself at all, as I had thought.
After that, the months were a haze of drinking. I know I had traveled all over the
world, but all I seemed to have seen were the insides of bars. Brawling was fun.
I knew it was something Long wouldn't engage in, but that was part of why I did
it. I know I'm a clone, but I wanted.. -needed- to be separate, different, myself.
Eventually, one of those Brazilian terrorists, really just jumped up drug smugglers,
found me on a barroom floor. He found I knew a lot about organizing international
terrorist actions. I may not have really been in the driver's seat the first time, with
Busuzima, but I'd learned a little something.
Plus, it was something to do besides drink and fight. It made me feel useful.
I could have helped the terrorists recover after that rout at Gado's hands but a
new obsession had already overtaken me. I realized that what I needed was
someone who could understand my drive, my love for the kill. The adrenaline
rush, the feeling of power, was unmatched by any other experience I'd yet
had in my short life.
Long wouldn't understand. He'd given up all that, hadn't he? Sealed himself
away in a cave and left the world on its own while he ate cave bugs and bats
to survive, I gather. Stun was equally pathetic. Gado would rip me to shreds
before he asked any questions. In fact, he still might if he caught me near
his daughter. I knew she wouldn't tell him, though, my little Marvel. She too
felt the need to do everything -herself.-
Yes, she was the only choice, the best choice. And she was so beautiful
when she was angry.. when she was happy.. really, any time. I was quite
beside myself with the need to.. experience.. her. Perhaps there were better
ways to go about it, but I didn't know what they were. Long, for all his
handsome looks, wasn't exactly a ladies' man. At least, from what I could
see of his memories. His memories that I'd once thought were -mine!- And
all the experiences I'd had with women since were not what I wanted to
have with Shina. Those were whores and barflies; she was so much higher
than that.
Sometimes I couldn't help myself, I had to touch her. That's what had
happened in Paris. I knew it scared her, but I also knew she wouldn't flee.
She was a woman to face her fears head on and beat them to a pulp until
she was no longer afraid.
I didn't really want to fight her, and yet.. I did. I wanted to hear that leopard's
fierce roar, watch the fluid movements of her body as she avoided my own
claws. But I didn't really want to hurt her, did I?
So confused....