Chapter Six: Yin and Yang
Author's Note: Hi again! All ready for the latest chappie! Okay, here we go!
Ling Xiaoyu:
I can't die…not yet…not now!
Ling Xiaoyu had raced through her apartment complex and through the back alleys. She had passed through the modern high rises and was now heading towards the old quarter…and the vampiric assassins were still gaining. She had no idea how long they had been chasing her, but she knew what they wanted;
Her death.
As she glanced over her shoulder, panting from her exertion, her momentum threw her down an embankment. Two of the many vamps saw her, and came after her.
A door opened, then was quickly shut. No one was going to help her…but she had to press on…she needed to meet Jin at the hospital…they were here…and they wanted…Kazuya…Xiao couldn't let them take him…she hadn't known she would be ambushed, and now, her fiancé was probably running off to certain death as well.
This alley, then that; she was trapped in a dead end. Her breath came in shallow, panicky gasps. Then she saw a drain pipe and grabbed it, using it to clamber up the side of the building.
One of the vampires grabbed her foot but she shook him off and made her way to the top of the building. She got to the roof.
I'm going to live through this, she thought exultantly.
But another was waiting for her…before she had time to react, the assassin pushed her off the building, and she plummeted towards the ground. Fortunately for her, the building was not too high up. The fall didn't kill her, but it certainly knocked the wind out of her.
She couldn't move…but she saw a vampire stand over her…and whip out a sickeningly sharp dagger…and as the blade fell she could only think of the man she loved…and could only hope that he would fare better then she did…
Two hours earlier…
Jamie:
As much as Jamie hated to admit it, he was tired…and yet, he willed every cell in his body to cooperate and give him the energy to press on. Hwoarang and Jamie got off the plane at midnight. Jamie was surprised to see Julia waiting for them at the terminal. It had been four months since he had seen her last…and she hadn't changed that much.
She wore a pair of flared, pin stripe black pants, a fitted button down shirt and matching black blazer. Julia's hair was tied back in a single braid, and her plastic, black glasses matched her outfit.
"Jamie…" Julia gave Jamie a broad smile and a warm hug. "It's so good to see you."
Jamie returned the hug…it felt good to see her again…she was discreetly accented with a popular perfume…although Jamie couldn't recall the name of it.
Seeing her made memories of the tournament flood through his mind like waves crashing against the shores. Julia let go of Jamie, and rushed towards Hwoarang who still looked rather harried from the long flight. She brushed a strand of firetruck red lock of hair out of his eyes and gently, kissed him on the mouth.
Jamie wanted to look away and did…but at the same time he wished that he had someone…afterall, it seemed as if everyone else did…Jin and Xiao, Hwoarang and Julia…even Christie and Steve.
Even though Mina said that she would wait for him the two were never officially dating…and right now, all Jamie wanted was to kiss her again…to hold her again…to bury his face in her hair which smelled like herbal shampoo and forget all of his troubles.
"Thank God you two are safe…you have no idea how worried I was." She said…tears forming in her eyes.
"What's wrong Jules?" Jamie asked.
He shouldered his simple, blue backpack…it carried an extra set of clothing but also carried several holy objects with it. Hwoarang too, carried his canvas pack…and inside was one of the seven Shakra Orbs…
"I just got here a little over an hour ago…Paris is really supposed to be left for Jin and Xiao…but…but we haven't heard from them in over three days…Kazuya's in a coma…and he's here too…we've been fearing the worst…" Julia lowered her eyes.
"Then what the fuck are we standing around here for! We've gotta get to the hospital and make sure Kazuya doesn't go AWOL!" Hwoarang said forcefully using his military jargon.
"No…first we need to check Jin and Xiao's apartment…it's been three days, but I can guarantee they'd be at least in a general five mile radius." Jamie argued.
"Are you crazy! We need to get to the hospital! Kazuya can't be taken in enemy hands!" Hwoarang snapped.
Jamie was a little taken aback by Hwoarang's sudden display of anger…but he let it go…after all, they had all walked into a bad situation that only promised to get worse…before Jamie could respond, Julia spoke, breaking the quelling argument.
"Both of you are right…we can't risk losing those two…they were outstanding members of the VDA and…" her voice softened a little. "Two really good friends…Hwoarang, you may not get along with him, but you and Jin have been through a lot together…we've all been through a lot together…and we can't just leave them."
"You're right." Hwoarang sighed. "Sorry Jamie…"
"It's okay…how 'bout this? I'll go to their apartment, and meet you guys at the hospital. Jin told me in an e-mail that their apartment wasn't too far away from the hospital where Kazuya's kept…no offense, but I'm not exactly eager to meet up with the man who tried to kill me right away…"
Plans were made, and times were exchanged…if Jamie hurried, pumping out full Nephilim speed and sticking to the rooftops he could make it to the apartment in fifteen minutes. He was to report to the hospital at 2 in the morning…this would leave him an hour to investigate.
"Got it," Jamie said in an all business tone.
He was prepared to dash out of the airport until Hwoarang stopped him.
"Jamie!"
The Nephilim turned and Hwoarang threw something black at him. Jamie caught it and examined it…it was a leather strap that held a knife…a rather ridiculously sharp hunting knife.
"Thanks!" Jamie grinned broadly.
He expertly attached it to the waist of his comfortably baggy jeans as he dashed off…
Fifteen minutes later…
Paris…the city of lights and known as one of the most romantic cities in the world…and here was Jamie right in the middle of it. Who knew that such a gorgeous, breath taking city could have such a grimy…seedy undertone to it? To Jamie, places like Tokyo, and Paris were like glittering jewels…only with mountains of tarnish on them…and it was up to him to personally…well…clean them…
He was told that it would be cold here…but he had obviously under dressed for the occasion…his baggy jeans offered meager protection to his legs and pelvis, and the t-shirt he wore was a tight black one…he didn't have any t-shirts without slogans or pictures on them…this one had Bart Simpson emblazoned on it…he had lifted his t-shirt to reveal dozens of rings attached to his chest.
The caption underneath read: Don't worry mom, they're just clip ons!
Although it didn't quite reflect the intimidation that he had wanted it would suit him just fine.
He leapt across the buildings, keeping a steady pace and a rhythm…his beating heart; breaths for air, and tennis shoes on the pavement all kept time in his tuned and trained body.
Finally, he made one final leap and grunted with the impact. He stopped, and allowed himself a second to get his bearings.
Jamie looked around, and checked the hand drawn map Julia had made for him…this was it…this was the apartment complex.
Apparently, Jin and Xiao owned the penthouse…and the whole roof was actually their property!
Betcha you could throw one helluva party up here! Hey, when this is all over, I say we totally party it up on this roof
The door to the stairs was locked…Jamie only had to use a small fraction of his power to force the door open. And once he did, he lightly jogged down the twisting stairs. He kept his senses open…ready and waiting for anything…but it was quiet…a little too quiet for Jamie's tastes…this kind of quiet usually meant that trouble was going to come in the form of snarling and fangs.
Jamie found the apartment easily…it was the only one with yellow caution tape across it…granted, the word "caution" was in French ( a language Jamie could not speak or understand)…but the yellow tape was rather universal.
Without a second thought, Jamie tore it down and, once again, forced the door open…and what he saw was rather shocking…
First of all, the apartment was in total shambles…broken glass, ripped furniture, destroyed appliances…all of it littered the floor. Furniture had been overturned, light fixtures had fallen…this place was an absolute mess.
"Okay…not looking too good…definite signs of a struggle…but what happened here…" Jamie found himself murmuring.
The only illumination came from the sliver of moonlight staring down from a blank, void, starless sky. And while Jamie was thinking aloud…deep down he was doing it to comfort himself…he didn't know what exactly he was walking into but he hoped it wasn't a trap...or something far worse…
A murder scene.
One of the really sad things however, was the fact that this was actually a rather breath taking apartment. It had two floors…one had to climb up the spiral, metal and wire staircase to reach the top floor. A beautiful kitchen and dining area…which housed the most modern of appliances (all the steak and kitchen knives had mysteriously vanished).
Jamie mentally cursed his luck…it seemed that the police had already taken away anything that could be remotely used as a weapon. After about twenty minutes of searching, Jamie found himself in the master bedroom.
The sheets were torn, and feathers from the white blanket littered the area. This looked like the start of the struggle…as it was the most destroyed…slowly, Jamie sat at the edge of the bed and looked at the beautifully varnished wooden dresser. A smiling picture of Jin and Xiao stared back at him.
It must have been taken recently, because Jin didn't have his hair spiked (something Jamie would have to get used too) and Xiao didn't wear her hair in pigtails. The two were holding each other, and it looked like the picture was taken at a vineyard or some such place.
"I'll find you guys…I promise…" Jamie murmured.
"Talking to pictures again?" A voice that sounded eerily familiar…it cut through the silence like a knife through butter…it startled the Nephilim…but he refused to show it…he knew that it was the vampire from the other night…the one who critically wounded him…but that wasn't why his voice sounded familiar…it was something that Jamie couldn't describe.
"Again? I never talk to inanimate objects…someone needs to think of better puns." Jamie stated as he stood.
He stared the creature dead in the face now…he still wore the denim outfit from before and leaned against the threshold of the bathroom…his face exuded a dark and cocky confidence…as if he had calculated everything up to this precise moment.
"I know more about you then you think Jamie Parker..." He said.
"Oh please, enlighten me." Jamie said with a grin.
"I know that you hate going by James because it makes you sound like a snobby polo player…and I know that you hate your middle name Brendan because it sounds too preppy…I also know that you love Mina but won't say anything because of the whole Nephilim thing…but really, you're just too chicken shit…and I know that almost every single night, before going to bed you stare at the portrait of your parents that sits on your nightstand and kiss it before going to bed." He smirked. "Shall I go on?"
Jamie was taken aback…he had been right about everything! But Jamie didn't want to hear anymore…all he wanted was to watch this bastard burn away into the azure flames that they always seem to become.
"My mission in life…but I'm obviously interesting enough to have a stalker so the world makes sense again…but guess what? You forgot one thing…I hate vampires…and I kill them for a living…so…are you gonna kill me? Cuz, this is gettin' old?" Jamie asked.
The two leapt into battle in the bedroom…Jamie started with a lightning fast roundhouse kick…it struck the vampire in the ribs…Jamie happily heard the crack of ribs and he was happy that his plan was working.
It didn't matter how powerful you were…if you're ribs broke you would stagger and drop your guard…and it worked. Jamie seized the opportunity and axe kicked the vampire on the top of his head. He fell, but before Jamie could do anything else, he kicked his legs around, knocking Jamie to the floor.
The Nephilim was stunned…afterall, that was HIS move…how in the hell could he have known to do that!
Jamie immediately got up and lunged at his opponent. Focusing all his weight, strength and energy, Jamie bum rushed the vampire…he landed against the staircase, which buckled and fell under the sudden slam…the two then continued their fight in the main hall.
Jamie moved to swing a punch but the vamp blocked it, grabbed Jamie's shoulders, ducked, and swept his leg up…once again, Jamie got a face full of steel toed heel…Jamie staggered, and clutched his nose.
"You're so predictable…I knew you'd come here! Well, if it'll give you piece of mind, Jin and Xiao are still alive…" He snickered. "although, Xiao's probably got another five minutes left…my boys are after her…and Jin? Well, I like to play with my food so he's probably wandered into a trap of about two hundred Tekken Force, and about thirty or so vampires…some think that to send that many soldiers to a hospital is overkill…but I say…let them have some fun right?"
The words hit Jamie like a ton of bricks…he had to save Xiao now! Still, he had to at least attempt to stop this sadist.
"Hey, before I go…I thought I'd return the favor!" Jamie immediately whipped out the knife and flung it as fast and hard as he could…sure enough, the blade landed in the vamp's shoulder…the same place and way that the skewer had hit Jamie…unfortunately, the vampire only smiled, and whipped out his own knife.
"Scary," He said, acknowledging the blade in his shoulder. "Scarier." He finished, he then clicked a button on his knife…it was a detonator! He winked and air kissed Jamie as he flung the blade. It landed in the wall…inches from Jamie's head! Quickly, Jamie gasped and dashed out of the broken window…he free fell…then landed with a thud on a low building.
The explosion shook through the night as crimson flames shot through the building…Jamie knew that the vampire escaped…he had too…he was way more cunning then Jamie would have liked him to be…still, he got up quickly to avoid the shrapnel from hitting him…as he sprinted, he heard screaming from an alley.
"That's my cue…" Jamie murmured.
He leapt down into the alleyway…and not a minute too soon. Xiaoyu lay on the ground…and another vampire was about to plunge a dagger into her chest! Several more stood around them…but Jamie quickly brushed them off…at the last second, Jamie grabbed the blade, and punched the vamp in the face.
Quickly, Jamie turned the blade and jammed it into the vamp's forehead. He screamed and ran off.
"That's gonna heal funny!" Jamie called.
The vamp immediately disintegrated into blue embers…leaving Jamie to face off with the other five. Xiao, still stunned huddled in a corner. Jamie punched and kicked and blocked, and had managed to take out three…but the other two were incredibly strong…giving Jamie a tough time. One punched Jamie in the face so hard that he was temporarily stunned.
At the last second, Xiao came to Jamie's rescue…she had grabbed the dagger left behind by the one vamp and slit the throat of the one who had attacked Jamie…the second one, a girl was dealt with when Xiao flung the knife through the shrieking demons heart…
"Jamie!" Xiao breathed after it was all over.
"Thanks for your help," Jamie breathed. "But honestly, I was the one who was supposed to rescue you…not the other way around!"
Xiao hugged Jamie deeply, thanked him, and explained how happy she was to see him.
"Listen, we need to get to the hospital! Jin's there but it's a-"
"I know, a trap! Don't worry, I'm going. Hwoarang and Julia are already down there!"
"Wait…how do you-"
"No time to explain let's go!" Jamie said.
And so, the two dashed off into the night…and towards what was perhaps one of the most sinister traps any of them had ever gone up against…
Author's Note: Okay…sorry it took sooooo long to update, but I hope this chappie was worth it! Sorry if sucks...Anyway, I know that the whole scene where evil Jamie flung the detonator knife was from the opening movie of Tekken 5…but I just loved that scene so much…oh, and if you're wandering…evil Jamie is sorta like a guy version of Anna…oh well…oh, I also wanted to let shadowsin know that I love her ideas and we so need to work on it! Karisan-Karisan likes it too so we need to touch base with her...and possibly junking87 (peter vs.jamie sounds kinda like a good fight since they both have supernatural powers and whatnot). When it comes to tag team I thought it'd be awesome possum if Jamie and Kyo were on a team (they are somewhat alike) and like Mina and Kaori were on a team cuz they seem to have a lot in common…if not, then that's cool…just a thought…anyway LOVE TO ALL AND PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!