Don't Look Back

You keep insisting you're the one to blame.
But why are you the only one in pain?

They'd been living together for a few months now and she had told him all about how her family couldn't wait to meet him. Though she wanted their love and support, having him was more important than what they wanted for her. She knew, before she even invited him to her home, that they wouldn't accept him; it had felt like, all her life, they hadn't even accepted her. She knew that they wouldn't see him as she saw him; that they wouldn't believe in what he could accomplish the way that she did. They would never be able to understand that her love for him ran deeper than what was on the outside.

He'd accepted her invitation wholeheartedly, of course. Hwoarang knew how important Xiaoyu's family must be to her if she asked him to meet them. Before they'd even booked a flight back to China, he was determined to impress them. He wanted to be everything that her family could have ever wanted for her.

Though she tried to keep her feelings inside, tried not to alarm him, tried to keep her peppy charisma and not to worry him, Hwoarang could sense that something was wrong. She hadn't been herself since the day that she had booked the flight to China.

Something about bringing him home to her family seemed to put her in a state of near hysteria. She cried at night, though he never wished to wake her or to rouse her from her dreams. There was something very wrong; some reason why she hadn't wanted to return to her family after the tournament.

They ask for so much more
than they deserve credit for.

They were packing their bags; his laid on the floor next to his dresser and hers open on top of the bed with piles of clothes waiting to be shoved inside. There was hardly enough light coming through the window to pack their bags by. Though it was only eight thirty, the street lights were shining.

Hwoarang walked up beside her and sat down on the bed next to her suitcase. He was very careful; making sure not to wrinkle her neatly folded clothes. He looked at her, smiling, as she tried to hide her face from him.

"What's wrong, baby?" he asked. He reached out towards her, hoping that she might be in the mood to cuddle. She took his hand in hers and took a deep breath. He pulled her into a tight hug and snuggled his face against her neck.

Xiaoyu sighed. "Nothing," she replied. She tried to subtly hint to him that the discussion was over; that she had nothing more to say. He hadn't bought it.

"No," he said sternly. "You're stressing out about something. I want to help you, baby. But there's nothing I can do when you won't talk to me."

She was silent for a moment, sitting down in his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and she put hers around his neck.

"It's my family," she began.

He didn't say anything but she could tell he was genuinely concerned. He had a way about him; something that allowed her to tell when he was listening and when he wasn't paying her any attention at all.

"I'm just," she paused, trying to choose the right words. "I'm worried that they're going to treat you like they treat me."

He looked at her. In his eyes, Xiaoyu could see questions that he wasn't asking. She could tell that he was confused.

"It's like this," she started. "They've never really treated me like I was a daughter to them; my parents, I mean. My mother has always been unhappy; she and my father were married when they were very young."

She stopped, looking up at Hwoarang. There was a lot of understanding in his eyes. He pulled her into a hug and smiled.

"It's alright, baby," he said. "I've got no one but you. I'm not expecting them to like me all that much, anyway."

He was lying. There was nothing that he wanted more than to impress Xiaoyu's family. Hwoarang wanted them to trust him to take care of Xiaoyu for the rest of their lives. He wanted this for Xiaoyu's sake.

"I'm not worried about how well you will get along. It's hard to explain, but I'll try," she paused. "My family; it's just me and my mother and father. They've always wanted a son, though they've never outright told me that I've let them down. I'm just worried that they won't take to you the way that you deserve; they'll be your family and I want you to have one that loves you."

Who needs them?
What's in a name, anyway?

It was true that Hwoarang had no family to make Xiaoyu their own. Though she didn't seem disappointed by this, Hwoarang was, himself, ashamed that there wasn't anyone in his life that would be happy for the both of them.

He thought about it a lot; the fact that he had nothing to offer Xiaoyu but himself and the old beat up apartment that they shared. Hwoarang thought about how different her life would be if she had stayed with Jin.

Xiaoyu would have security; Kazama's money would always protect her. There would always be a sense of prestige about her; something in her name that would make her more special than the next person.

Hwoarang hung his head. He didn't even have a name to offer her. And, had he had one in the first place, it certainly wouldn't have meant as much as Kazama's. He knew that they wouldn't lead a life of luxury, him and Xiaoyu, but all that he could hope for was that they would be happy and that their love would be enough.

In the end, Hwoarang would always console himself. 'Who needs a family anyway?' he thought. 'They'd just hold you back. You'd always be responsible for something.' And he believed that.

For Xiaoyu, as far as Hwoarang could tell, family was special and she enjoyed having hers. There was something about them, however, that Hwoarang noticed Xiaoyu was afraid of. Was it winning their acceptance? Was it gaining their respect?

He thought himself lucky that he hadn't had to deal with 'making someone proud' all of his life. There had been a lot of freedom in his upbringing. The only person who had really cared about him was Baek; and he was dead.

The more that Hwoarang would think about his mentor, the more sense everything seemed to make. Baek had been the one to put a roof over his head and make sure that there was always food on his plate. He had been the one to make sure that Hwoarang went to school, at least for a little while. Baek had provided him with the only necessity that he had ever needed; the ability to fight.

And Hwoarang was grateful. Maybe that was why he decided to reopen Baek's dojo. Or maybe that was why he decided to use Baek's name as his own. Whatever the reason; Hwoarang was happy and Xiaoyu could tell.

If you leave them behind you,
I won't let them find you.

Coming to terms with her life after the tournament was a little harder for Xiaoyu that it had been for Hwoarang. There were a lot of people that she had left behind when she ran away from home; it was going to be hard to face them, whether they forgave her or not. There were a lot of memories that she had been forced to let go of.

She hadn't wanted to go home after the tournament, ashamed that she had let her parents down again. Though she hadn't promised to win the tournament for them, she hadn't even told them where she was going, Xiaoyu was plagued with the guilt of failure. She was ashamed that she had run away but she was even more burdened by the thought of having to apologize for what she had done.

In the time that she had been away from China, she realized that she had to be free from her parents in order to truly be happy. She couldn't live with them always criticizing and being ashamed of her. Someday, if they still wanted Xiaoyu to call herself their daughter, they were going to have to learn to accept her for everything that she was and appreciate her for everything that she wasn't.

It was her family that she had really chosen to leave behind when she ran away from home. Xiaoyu hadn't planned to meet Heihachi and enter the tournament. Fate had directed her down that path. And whenever she looked at Hwoarang, she knew that she was meant to have run away from home. She knew that there was nothing in the world she should have done but to leave behind everything that she had ever known for a better life; the one she had now.

If you choose to sever the ties,
refuse to swallow their lies.

Hwoarang had his arm wrapped around Xiaoyu's shoulder and they were cuddled up on the couch watching a TV show. Though he loved to take her out and show her off to the world, Xiaoyu was more content to staying at home, just the two of them. Besides, they'd be leaving tomorrow night for China and there was nothing wrong with spending one last night at home.

Xiaoyu wasn't tense, sitting close to Hwoarang on the couch, though she wasn't really relaxing enough to please Hwoarang. He was watching her closely and she knew it; she tried to pretend that he wasn't.

"What's wrong, baby?" he finally asked. It seemed to be a common question in the days leading up to their trip to China.

"Nothing," Xiaoyu sighed; her common answer.

"Baby," Hwoarang started. "I know that something is really bothering you. C'mon, let me help you."

She was silent for a while, ignoring the TV and focusing only on him. His eyes were looking down at her with so much concern.

"It's going home," she whispered. "I'm not sure that I'm ready yet."

Hwoarang pulled her closer and kissed her forehead. She wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled as close to him as she could.

"That's alright," he smiled. "There's no rush."

Xiaoyu was quiet for a long time. She was thinking of all that Hwoarang had done for her; everything that he was to her. He deserved to meet her family, if that was what he wanted to do. It was selfish of her to be so nervous about going home to her family. They loved her, after all, didn't they?

"It's just," she started. "They never really accepted me. They've always wished that I had been a son. I'm just not sure if I'm ready to go back to that. I ran away and I'm sure that they're not going to be pleased about that."

"You've been gone a whole year," Hwoarang protested. "Don't you think that they're worried about you?"

Xiaoyu looked away from his eyes. "I have a hard time believing that they've ever felt anything but remorse towards me," she sighed.

Hwoarang rocked her, gently, back and forth in his arms. She didn't deserve to be treated any way less than wonderfully.

"You could always just do what I've done," he paused. "If you leave them behind you they can't hurt you anymore."

It sounded a lot like running away from her problems. The more she listened to him, however, the more she saw the sense in what he was telling her. If something wasn't right for her then she should move on.

If it's not right for you,
you've got the right to move on.
Move on, move on.

She thought about what her relationship with Jin had been like. At first, he had been a good friend to her; listening when she had a problem, helping her when she needed advice, keeping her company when she was lonely.

It was no surprise to anyone that they would become more than friends. They had both trained together before the tournament and they had both studied together late at night. Jin had even had it arranged that their rooms would be next to each other.

Xiaoyu hadn't forgotten when he had asked her to be his girlfriend. It was late at night and they were sitting together on the balcony that joined their rooms together. The stars were shining especially brightly that night; as though they knew that it was to be a very special night.

"I think I'm in love with you," he whispered, pressing his lips against her forehead. His eyes were soft.

"I think that I'm in love with you, too," Xiaoyu had whispered back.

"Then, will you be mine?" he asked.

Xiaoyu hadn't answered, just kissed him. It was a big step for both of them.

When they woke up the next morning, the sun was shining brightly down on them. The birds were singing and they were both still resting on the balcony. It had been a wonderful night.

But things wouldn't stay wonderful forever. It wasn't long before Xiaoyu had felt Jin's interest in her begin to shift. He no longer wanted to spend hours with her. It seemed like he wanted her body.

She had still been a virgin before Jin. She had trusted him, something that she regretted today. Jin had proven that he was not an understanding person nor was he a caring lover.

When her relationship with Jin came to its sudden, messy, end in her room at the Mishima Mansion, Xiaoyu knew that Jin wasn't right for her. Hwoarang's philosophy about moving on and making everything better for herself seemed like an excellent explanation for why she had chosen him over Jin.

And now she was willing to try it with her family. Hwoarang would support her in whatever she chose. Xiaoyu only hoped she made the best choice.

I know they'll make you out to be the fool.
But you'll grin and bear it.

Hwoarang had been doing some thinking of his own in the days leading up to his and Xiaoyu's vacation. They weren't the normal fears that a man meeting his fiancée's parents would worry about. He was worried the most about Xiaoyu returning to her family.

He understood that her family didn't really accept her, but was it all as bad as she made it out to be? Was she maybe overreacting a little bit? He was just sure that a family with Xiaoyu as a daughter must be proud.

Was Xiaoyu really worried about going home? Or was she maybe more worried about her parents meeting him? He was very confused.

Thousands of scenarios of his first meeting with her parents played over and over in his mind. They would be nice looking; he was sure of that. Xiaoyu would look like her mother, though sharing some features with her father.

They would be kind and warm people. The thought of accepting a son into their family would make them very proud. But would they want a son like Hwoarang?

Suddenly, his worst fear was evident. 'Had Xiaoyu told her parents about Jin Kazama? Was that why she was so upset? Because they'd be expecting that rich pretty boy but would be receiving a poor street punk instead?'

His heart sank. 'They're going to think that she's crazy for dumping him to be with me,' he thought. 'I've got nothing to give her but myself; he had the world at his fingers. That must be why Xiaoyu is so upset about this trip.'

He was thinking a million things at once. 'What if she has to sit in front of her parents, knowing that they know I'm no good for her?' he thought. 'Surely she'll just let them humiliate her. It's not like her to start an argument.'

You'll play it cool,
because you're so cool.

It was time for them to leave for the airport. Xiaoyu had seemed more at ease than she had the night before when Hwoarang had watched her tidy up the apartment before they left. "It's always nice to return to a clean home," she said.

Their bags were packed, the doors were locked, and the tickets were safely tucked away in her book bag. There was no turning back now. Hwoarang was going to meet her parents; for better or for worse.

The sun was shining; there wouldn't be any chance of a flight delay. Nothing was going to stop them or slow them down. But Xiaoyu didn't look as though she was nervous about returning home anymore.

Perhaps under all of her uncertainty and doubt, she was really homesick after all. Maybe there was something in China that was good enough to make her want to return. Or maybe Hwoarang offered enough support for her to face her fears.

She smiled the whole way to the airport, telling him stories about her home. Her long dark hair curled around her shoulders slightly. She appeared as though there wouldn't be any chance of her falling apart and it seemed as though she was holding together well.

"We had this large temple in my village," she began. "It was where they trained all of the martial artists. I wanted so badly to train there; but they would only accept boys. So I would sit and watch every day and practice the moves by myself at night."

Hwoarang chuckled. "It's very like you to go your own way," he said. "But who did you train with? Was there another girl who wanted to be a warrior too?"

"No," she paused. "Most of my friends weren't girls. I never got along with kids my own age very well. My uncle taught me."

"Uncle?" Hwoarang questioned. "Will I get to meet this uncle?"

"Sure," Xiaoyu exclaimed. "If there's enough time."

Her excitement was beginning to grow on him. Hwoarang couldn't wait to see the places that she described to him and meet the people that she told him about. Xiaoyu really had a way with storytelling.

Degrading, berating,
they're so sadly mistaken.

Xiaoyu's family wasn't waiting for them at the airport in China. Her family hadn't arranged for a cab to take Xiaoyu home. Hwoarang began to wonder if they even knew that they were coming.

They spent the night in a hotel room in a city about a day's drive from her home. Hwoarang was curious, Xiaoyu could tell. He didn't complain when she woke him up early the next morning.

Throughout the drive, Hwoarang stopped to look at Xiaoyu's appearance. She wasn't as composed or as excited as she had been the day before. There seemed to be something bothering her again.

Hwoarang asked her what was wrong. He didn't get frustrated, though, when she refused to respond. They drove in silence, her holding his hand, all the way to Xiaoyu's parent's house.

The journey was long, though filled with beautiful landscapes and exotic places along the way. When they finally reached her village, Xiaoyu sighed.

"I guess I'm finally home," she said.

Hwoarang squeezed her hand. "I'm here," he whispered.

"I know," she said, hugging him. "And I need you to be."

When they call it love, I'll call their bluff.

Xiaoyu's mother was waiting for them at the house when they arrived. She was a small and fragile looking woman in her late forties. Her hair was beginning to grey near her brow and her face showed age beyond her years. She looked nothing like Xiaoyu.

There wasn't a smile on her face as Xiaoyu walked towards her. She didn't open her arms to her daughter, as a mother normally would to her child. Xiaoyu's mother just stared down at the pair of them blankly.

"Your father is in the garden," she said flatly.

"Yes, ma'am," Xiaoyu answered, hanging her head.

She walked through the house, leading Hwoarang slowly. Her father was visible, sitting on a stone bench between a small pond and a beautiful tree with pink flowers. Xiaoyu turned to look at Hwoarang and tried to offer him a weak smile.

"Papa?" Xiaoyu asked, walking towards him slowly.

He looked up at her with a blank expression. He didn't focus on her for long before he turned his attention towards the large fish swimming in the pond. His expression was hard and uninviting.

"Papa," Xiaoyu began. "This is Hwoarang: my fiancée."

Again, he said nothing. He acted almost as though he hadn't heard what she had said. All the while, Hwoarang rested his hand on Xiaoyu's shoulder; a form of comfort that he could never know he was providing.

"What are you doing back here, then?" her father replied, coolly.

"I-I just thought that you would want-"

"You have him to take care of you," he interrupted. "What are you doing back here?"

Xiaoyu was fighting back tears; Hwoarang could tell. He squeezed her shoulder for support. She turned her back to her father and ran back towards her house. Hwoarang was left in the garden; silent.

His mind was swimming. 'So, her parents hadn't known that we were coming. She hadn't told them about Kazama, or if she had, her parents don't care enough whether I'm Jin or not," he thought. 'Xiaoyu was right. Her parents aren't inviting. They weren't the warm and friendly people I had imagined.'

"Aren't you going to follow her?" Xiaoyu's father asked, interrupting Hwoarang's thoughts.

Closing his eyes, Hwoarang turned to leave. He took a few steps back towards the house before saying, sarcastically, "It was nice meeting you."

Just let me remind you,
that I'll be behind you.

He found her in the car. Her seatbelt was already fastened as though she were ready to leave. Her eyes were red; he could tell she had been crying.

He got inside and looked back at her childhood home. Hwoarang knew that Xiaoyu would never come back here. Frankly, he didn't blame her for not wanting to return. He felt guilty, as though he had made her come here in the first place.

It was getting dark; there would be no way for them to return to the city where they had spent the previous night. Hwoarang reached across the center console of the car that they had rented and held her hand, squeezing it slightly. They were silent.

"Let's go to your uncle," Hwoarang suggested.

Xiaoyu didn't say anything. Her fists were clenched and Hwoarang could tell that she was upset. He put his arm around her and pulled her close to him. She started crying onto his shoulder.

"Shh," he quieted her. "It's ok, baby. I'm here."

She cried for a while; not letting Hwoarang's words affect her. But then she began to think about what he had said. 'I'm here,' he had said. And he really was. Xiaoyu became silent. "Yes," she answered flatly. "Let's go to my uncle."

He drove the car away from her parent's house, away from the terrible memories of her childhood, away from her pain forever.

If you choose to sever the ties,
refuse to swallow their lies.

She quietly directed him towards her uncle's home. It wasn't that far from where she had once lived. It had taken about fifteen minutes; though something told Hwoarang that there had been a shorter way from her home to her uncle's home when a person walked.

Xiaoyu's uncle was outside; as though he had been expecting them.

The sun was beginning to slide behind the trees and the wind could be heard rustling the leaves gently. Hwoarang shut off the engine of the car and looked over to Xiaoyu. She wasn't crying anymore, though her eyes were still red.

Hwoarang took her hand in his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. She lowered her head, as though she was going to cry again. But she didn't. She looked towards Hwoarang while, at the same time, opening her door to exit the car.

She looked around her; remembering her childhood. This was the home where Xiaoyu had spent much of her time growing up. Every time that her parents would get angry at her or every time that her parents wouldn't seem to care about her she would come here to her uncle.

"Well," he paused. "Look at you!"

"Uncle Wang!" Xiaoyu ran up to him and threw her arms around his neck. "Oh, I've missed you!"

Hwoarang smiled to himself. Though he hadn't really met the old man yet, he could tell that he liked him. "Anyone that Xiaoyu liked that much had to be someone special," Hwoarang thought as he walked after Xiaoyu.

"Who is this?" her uncle asked once he noticed Hwoarang, timidly standing on the bottom step of the porch.

"Oh," Xiaoyu paused, blushing slightly. "This is Hwoarang; my fiancée."

Her uncle smiled. "Good," he paused. "Good to meet you."

Hwoarang hadn't said anything; he couldn't think of anything. He simply reached out towards Xiaoyu's uncle to shake hands.

Xiaoyu led him around the house that belonged to her uncle. It was a very grand estate; it sat upon a hill and was surrounded by elegant gardens. There was a dojo in back and also a shrine, undoubtedly for Xiaoyu's ancestors.

Hwoarang smiled. She was shining with pride and Hwoarang was happy that he was there with her. She was finally with her family; the side that cared for her.

If it's not right for you,
you've got the right to move on.
Move on, move on.

The room that they shared for the night was small but homey. The sheets had been freshly put on the bed and the window was already open, allowing a gentle and cool breeze to blow through the house. There was just enough room for the two of them.

Xiaoyu smiled as she announced, "This is where I used to stay."

She walked around the small room that had once been hers. Hwoarang put down the suitcases and sat on the bed. Xiaoyu rolled them into one of the corners and walked towards Hwoarang.

"What did you think of my parents," she asked, sitting next to him on the bed. She didn't look into his eyes but down at her feet. She seemed to be afraid of what his reaction would be.

He was silent for a while before he answered, "They're alright. A little better than I thought they'd be."

She looked at him in disbelief. Her jaw dropped slightly and she felt herself blush slightly. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "But I don't agree."

"Well," Hwoarang whispered. "It's not really like I had anything to judge them by. I don't have parents of my own."

Xiaoyu was silent for a moment. "Your parents would have been better to you," she whispered. "They wouldn't have acted as though they'd never seen you before. I'm sure that-"

He interrupted her by pulling her into his arms and kissing her. She giggled, playfully trying to pull away from him. Once she realized that her attempts to escape from his arms were worthless, she kissed him back.

Gently, Xiaoyu pushed Hwoarang onto the bed. He looked up at her, questioningly. She responded by kissing him.

It wasn't long before their clothes were lying in a pile on the floor beside the bed. Hwoarang was feeling the smooth skin of her back; carefully, as though it might break. Her hair was falling in waves down towards his face.

Xiaoyu ran her fingers through his silky hair. Her eyes were closed but she could feel every inch of his body against hers. Emotion was building between them as he began to kiss a spiraling path from her neck down her chest.

She let out a soft moan as they became one. They moved together; passion was fueling their desire and no thoughts crossed either of their minds. The only thing in the world that mattered to them was this time, this place, this moment.

Sweat began to form a gentle layer over her delicate skin. Hwoarang could feel her holding on to him tightly. Her breath was short and came in gasps.

A soft moan escaped her lips and she felt Hwoarang release inside of her. Xiaoyu leaned her head back and smiled up at Hwoarang. In his eyes, Xiaoyu could tell that he loved her and his love could be all of the family that she needed.

You've got to move on, move on
move on for what you want.
Move on.

They left China the next day. Xiaoyu had thanked her uncle over and over again. She refused to leave until he promised to come to their wedding.

He waved to them from the front of his house until they were out of sight. A few tears were welling up in his eyes, knowing that Xiaoyu was never going to return to China again. But Wang couldn't wait until they were married.

He knew that they were going to be happy together; the boy with no family and the girl with no home. They needed each other more than they knew. Wang could tell that there was a very happy future ahead of them.

Xiaoyu left her family for the last time in her life. This time, she wasn't running away, she wasn't hiding from her problems, and she wasn't letting herself get hurt anymore. Hwoarang had convinced her to move on to what was right for her and she was. Xiaoyu was moving on to him.