The Way We Were

(A/N) Woot! Lots and lots of reviews!! Thankies! . Well, Here's the third chapter. Ya know, good music and a little bit of inspiration go a long way. Hope all of you enjoy. Oh, Baccus Cremaeus, I have made PLENTY of fanfics like that when I used to be on as Kotou, just ask anyone lol. hehehe. Good stories, that they were. I'll make sure my next story is just as good. Thanks once again for all the lovely reviews. Hehe... and to those who agree, LONG LIVE XIAOYIN!!!

Chapter 3: Ulterior Motives

The next day seemed to bring about promises for everyone. Jin woke up and climbed out of bed rather lazily. His hair was a mess and scattered every which way. He got up and brushed his teeth looking at himself in the mirror. He deserved a nice hot shower. He peeled off his clothes revealing a nice muscular and fit body. He walked into the shower and let the warm water hit his skin. He leaned back enjoying this new form of relaxation and smiled. "I could really get used to this," he said as he closed his eyes.

Xiaoyu was already awake and had plans to meet Jin today, AT HIS HOUSE. It was going to be a hard task, but she was ready to take on anything. She practiced long and hard in front of the mirror to see just how she would approach him "I'm ready for this...I know I am," she reassured herself. She put on her body spray making herself smell like strawberries and smiled. "Alright, here goes nothing..." She gave a nod to herself and took off to Jin's house.

She finally arrived to his apartment and looked around. It was a rather big place, but she thought someone as simple as he was lived just an average everyday life. She knocked on the door but there was no answer. She looked to the parking lot and saw that his motorcycle was still there. She knocked again and still, no answer. She was beginning to think that this whole idea to meet Jin was a bad one. Just as soon as she was about to turn away, the door slowly opened, yet there was no one behind it.

"Oh, uhh...he left his door unlocked. You know, anyone could just march in here and take something." She walked into the apartment and looked around. She heard noise behind a door and knocked on it. "Jin, you in here?"

"Uh, yes Miss Xiaoyu but..." he barely got to finish his sentence when Xiaoyu had opened the door. Her eyes widened as she gazed upon his heavenly body.

"Oh my God...you're big...I MEAN Naked...I MEAN!!!" She looked around sweating and slammed the door on him and began panting. "Holy shit!" She rubbed her eyes and then fell over some of his weights he had lying around. Jin had come out in a hurry with his towel wrapped around him and saw her lying on the ground. He had seen Xiaoyu and thought that she might have hurt herself. He quickly ran to her side and wrapped his arms around her pulling her back up. She gave him a soft nod and then quickly pulled away from him. "Jin! Please...get dressed!" She covered her eyes and Jin looked down and then laughed.

"Alright miss Xiaoyu," he said heading towards his room. Xiaoyu took in a deep breath and exhaled it all out. She sighed and sat on the floor leaning against his wall.

Julia lay on her bed and was talking to Kojiro. She sat there in the dim light of her room and had a slight smile on her face. She lay back on her bed, making herself comfortable and giggled as she spoke. "So Kojiro, I thought we could clear up things between us...and go to the festival in two weeks." She closed her eyes picturing a happy reunion with the one she loved. "Yeah, it will be nice. So you'll go? That's great! I can't wait. Ok, I love you too... bye." She hung up the phone and had a bright smile on her face. "I've got to call Xiao!" She said with an eager voice. She went to pick up her cell phone and called Xiaoyu at her house, but there was no answer. She decided to call Xiaoyu on her cell phone.

As Xiaoyu sat on the floor getting over her shock, she heard her cell phone ring. She picked it up and answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey Xiao! Guess what?"

"Oh Julia! It's you... what?"

"Kojiro and I are going to the school fest! Isn't that great? Maybe we'll have a romantic meeting by the Ferris wheel! Or maybe we'll share a hot dog and watch the fireworks? I can't wait." Xiaoyu smiled to the thought of it all. She wanted something like that. A relationship so special couldn't be any more important to her.

"Yeah, that does sound great," she said in a mellow tone. Jin had got out of his room and was wearing casual jeans and a white T-shirt. His hair was dripping wet and he didn't put any gel in it, so it stayed down and he actually looked good that way. Xiaoyu smiled and then stood up to her feet. "Hey Jules, I'll call you back later."

"Alright Xiao, I've got a few places to go to, and I'll call you later tonight." She hung up the phone and walked towards her window, getting her things ready for her venture out.

Hworang stood there beside a building looking over at Julia's window. He had a slight smirk on his face as he had walked away from Kojiro's house and met with Julia. Julia looked over to Hworang and gave him a big smile.

"Hey Hworang! How are things going?" She rest her arm on his shoulder and he smiled to her patting her head.

"Just great Julia. How about you my dazzling mistress?" He laughed at his own comment, normally he would think of something much more enticing, but at the moment, that was all he could come up with.

"I'm alright," she giggled and began walking down the street as he walked beside her. "Hey Hwo? Are you going to the fair?" Her eyes sparkled which caught his attention. He ran his hand through his hair and smirked,

"Nah! It's not my thing." Julia playfully nudged him in the shoulder.

"You're just saying that because you don't have anyone to go with! Ha! I just busted you're bubble!" She laughed and Hworang began to chase her down the street. She screamed loud as he picked her up by her legs and sat her on his shoulders. "Hworang!!!" She laughed in a playful manner. He laughed as well, being with her made him feel stronger and free. Kojiro had stepped out the door hearing her screams from a block away and looked about for her. He saw Julia on Hworang's shoulders and a feeling of jealousy over came him. He turned back and shut his door, entering his house.

Xiaoyu looked to Jin and grabbed his towel that was over his shoulders. She pulled it off him and then tiptoed, reaching to his hair and ran the towel wildly through his hair. She laughed and then left it over his head. Jin smiled and shook his head, taking the towel back in his hands and fold it, setting it neatly on his couch.

"Hey Jin, sorry for intruding on you like that. I didn't mean to." Her face was a bright red and her face was still warm from all the blushing she had done.

"It's not a problem Miss Xiaoyu." He said with a caring voice.

"Jin, call me Xiao, or Ling! Anything but Miss Xiaoyu." She placed her hands on her hips and huffed. Jin placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Alright Xiao. Is that better?" He gave her a cheeky smile. She hugged him tightly around his waist.

"Yes! That's so much better!" Jin headed back to the bathroom and brought down a tube of hair gel from his cabinet. Xiaoyu followed him and looked up at him. "What do you plan on doing with that?" She asked in a slightly curious voice. Jin looked to the Gel, then back at her, then once again back to the tube of gel.

"Well, I was planning on putting it in my hair...but I'm up for suggestions," a sly grin appeared across his lips as he had said that. Xiaoyu took the tube away from him, snatching it.

"Oh no you're not. You look much better without your hair sticking up like Vegeta." She said laughing. (For those of you who don't know, Vegeta is a Dragon Ball Z character whom I am obsessed with lol!) Jin pulled the tube away and opened the cap.

"But I like my hair that way. It's different." Xiaoyu pulled it back from him once again and shut the cap. This battle went on for a while, till they both began pulling at the same time. Xiaoyu took a step back, making Jin's hand slip and release the tube. He took his time, planning on how he was going to be sly enough to take it back. She waved the tube around laughing. He had decided, if he were going to get it back, he would have to be two steps ahead of her. He saw his perfect opportunity and reached out to grab the tube. Xiaoyu quickly pulled it over her head, too fast for Jin to realize, and suddenly, noticed Jin's hand, was groping her left breast. Her eyes widen as she looked down. Jin looked over to Xiaoyu. He didn't move at all, he was in shock. His face went completely red, and he couldn't believe what just happened.

"Jin..." Xiaoyu said, her voice breaking the silence, "you're...hand...is on my boob." She blushed and then started laughing. He quickly pulled away and then fell over. She laughed more and then fell onto his couch, holding her sides. "You're a bold one Jin! You violated me!" She chuckled and rolled off the couch.

"I...I'm so sorry Xiao!" He stood up and helped her up looking down. He was sincerely sorry for that. She chuckled and then stood up patting his shoulder.

"Hey, don't get all worried about it. It's not like..." She quickly covered her mouth. Jin wondered why she had stopped and looked at her with new curiosity in his eyes.

"It's not like what?"

"Nothing...I didn't say anything."

"Yes you did. You said, hey don't get all worried about it. Its not like...not like what?" She shook her head refusing to answer. Jin smirked and then crossed his arms. "Not like you didn't like it?" Xiaoyu blushed and quickly shook her head.

"No!"

"Then what?"

"Not...like...uh...its not like I was going to get mad about it or anything." She stood up, regaining her composure. That answer sounded good to her, but it was not enough to convince Jin.

"Oh, alright then." He sat down on the couch and pulled her next to him. He leaned back and turned on the TV, searching for something they could both watch. Xiaoyu looked about and then hit her head.

"Jin! I remember now!" She caught his attention and he turned around to her.

"Remember what?" He lowered the volume to hear her and gave her his full-undivided attention. Xiaoyu thought about how she wanted to place her words. She looked back at him, finding that he was looking into her eyes. She hated that; it felt as if he were searching her soul. She blushed and looked down, but he lifts her chin with his thumb and index finger. "Come on Xiao, you can tell me anything." Her blood began to boil and chills crept all the way up and down her body.

"I...uh..." She stuttered and then shook her head. She had to get over this shyness and fear of maybe getting rejected. She looked right back down to her fiddling fingers on her lap. "You know, the school is having a fair in two weeks...and I have been saving my money to go. Since Miharu left, I didn't want to go alone, so I was wondering...if you weren't busy..." Jin smiled and set his warm hand over hers.

"You wanted to know if I'd go out with you on a date to the carnival?" Xiaoyu looked up to him and blinked a bit.

"Not a date, you know...as friends."

"Hmm, sounds like a date to me."

"Trust me, its not."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because people who go on dates are couples, and they always end up kissing or something like that. I don't know." Xiaoyu turned her face away to avoid eye contact.

"Not all the time. Friends can go out on dates. So it's a friendly date."

"But then it isn't a date, its just an outing."

"Nope, it's a date."

"It's NOT a DATE!" Xiaoyu yelled back. Jin laughed at her and then turned her around so she was looking at him, not looking at the floor or anywhere else, just him.

"Ok then. What do we have to do to qualify for this to be a date?" He asked in his soft, deep voice that would make any girl shiver and feel a sensation in their hearts. Xiaoyu blushed and sighed.

"I already told you, they have to be couples and stuff like that..." Jin inched a bit closer, his lips only inches away from hers. She could feel his warm breath against her and she shivered even more.

"And...what must I do...to qualify for that?" He said in almost the softest whisper imaginable. She closed her eyes, leaning closer to him, she could feel herself about to collapse over, when Jin smiled and leaned over to her, kissing her forehead. Her eyes widened and she fell over anime style, not having expected that. She toppled over like a stone onto the floor. He helped her up and walked her to the door. "I'll see you tomorrow at school Xiao." He waved goodbye and shut the door. Xiaoyu stood there confused. She had expected a kiss on the lips, and got a kiss on the cheek. It was extremely unexpected and she had to back up a few times to figure out what really happened. She smiled to herself and headed on her way home.

As she finally reached a few blocks away, she had seen two figures in front of Julia's house. She stood there for a moment trying to decipher who it was. Finally, as she reached the light, she saw it was Julia and Hworang, embracing in front of her house. She looked back and saw Kojiro who had tears streaming down his cheeks. She had no idea what was going on, but decided that she would find out sooner or later.

She finally made it home, dropping her stuff at the door, the image of her and Jin played over and over in her mind. She couldn't erase it at all. She laughed some at that and then chuckled. "Why did he tease me like that? That isn't nice..." she sighed and then walked over to her room, lying down looking up at the ceiling. "Heh, I thought he was going to kiss me...would have been nice..." She closed her eyes, and thus fell asleep, waiting for her alarm to ring for the next day.

(A/N) tada!!! This chappy is finally done!! Hehe so how was it!? Any better yet? Is there something going on between Hwo and Julia? Now that I look at this, I think this might be one of my shortest ficcies. But, ah well, I'll make lots more, longer ones too! Now for the next chapter, here's the Preview! Two weeks have passed and it's the day of the carnival! Yes, it's finally arrived! There's a new girl in town named Yumi who seems to be crushing on Jin as well, but doesn't tell him. She hangs around him and is completely jealous of Xiao. When she finds Xiaoyu with Jin at lunch, and they seem to be holding hands, she decides to take it into her own hands to do something about it. Abusing Xiao to some ridiculous limits, she tells her to swear not to tell anyone it was her, or she promises that she would kill her personally. Jin gets worried when he sees Xiaoyu and begs her to tell him. What does Xiao tell him? Will she fess up? And what new problems will Julia face? Find out in chapter 4, Carnival Night part 1 R&R plz!