War of the Roses

By: Mako-chan

(If I had a genie under my command, I'd wish to own Tekken characters… I can only wish.)

Chapter 4: The Makings of a War

"I'm going up. I'm leaving everything else to you."

"Like you always do," Tak said as Jin gave him a pat on the shoulder.

He gave a questioning look at his officer. "Is that a way to talk to your superior?"

Tak had to laugh at his remark. "Well, is this a way to treat your friend?"

"That's what friends are for," Jin answered readying himself for a quiet exit. "They count on one another and look out for each other."

"Or, you can say, they bite each other's heads off and ditch each other in a room full of old ladies."

"Who," he added, "should be asleep by 9:30 at the latest. You know I'd give anything to have a good night's rest. Besides, I have to meet with some American consultants tomorrow at the adjoining suite."

Jin's last statement gave Tak a little jumpstart. "About the suite—"

When he looked over his shoulder, Jin was already yards away, his hand up in the air saying his goodbye. Tak tried to catch up with him, but there were too many people asking too many questions. It didn't help that half of them were drunk. He suddenly regretted omitting that little detail when they had finalized the accommodations.

Xiaoyu gave a moan of satisfaction as she settled herself comfortably in the bath. She grabbed a folded towel and started to wash herself. Outside, she left a careless trail of clothing and lacy red and black underwear. She gave another satisfied sigh.

Jin opened the door to his suite, taking off his jacket and tossing it aside. He sat on the plush couch and propped his long legs on the table, and started to loosen his tie. Not feeling particularly comfortable with the silence, he grabbed the remote and started to flip channels. After a few minutes and failing to find a worthwhile show, he sprang to his feet and started to get ready to sleep.

After having a luxurious bath, Xiaoyu rose from the bathtub and dried herself. Wrapping her petite form in a soft towel, she proceeded to head out of the bathroom.

With his necktie discarded, Jin unbuckled his pants, leaving it unbuttoned and the zipper riding halfway. As he began to undo his shirt's top buttons, he came across the door to the adjoining suite. Having a sudden urge to inspect the other side, Jin opened the door. Much to his surprise, a faint, moist smell of flowers – roses – teased his nose.

Steam poured out of the bathroom, and after having a few moments of relaxation, Xiaoyu's face transformed from an ecstatic one to a frown. She had to pick up the clothes strewn all over the place.

The fleeting smell made him perplexed and curious at the same time, so stealthily, Jin followed it. Much to his surprise, he saw clothing scattered all over the lush carpet… what he saw made him stiffen – a silk shirt, a black tank top… and a sweet pair of lacy lingerie. Scanning the area, Jin saw a familiar looking black coat.

Before he could think, Xiaoyu suddenly appeared with the scent of roses lingering on her. Jin felt slightly heated and disturbed. There she was, the woman who literally fell on her ass, covered with nothing but an armful of terrycloth. It didn't help seeing tendrils of her midnight hair clinging to the front and back of her neck… neither did it help seeing her backside and the curve of her breast, all because she didn't bother to tuck the ends of the towel together.

After feeling a bit strangled, Jin finally expelled the breath he was holding for so long.

She turned around. "Who exactly are you and what are you doing here?" Xiaoyu shouted more than asked.

Taken aback by her words and tone, Jin managed to gather his wits and put on a dark face.

"If you're not going to say anything, then get out!"

Something inside him practically snapped. "I should be asking YOU that! How did you get in?"

"How did I get in? I'm staying here!" she exclaimed furiously, unconscious of her state of undress.

Overcome by his temper, he stalked towards the petite Chinese and backed her up against the wall… well, at least he tried. Jin had been too unmindful of his steps, his left foot catching her pants. In a horrible attempt to regain his balance, he reached for the nearest thing he could hold onto.

Unfortunately for Xiaoyu (i.e., conveniently for Jin ;), the nearest thing he could lay his hands on was her hand, the very hand keeping the last vestiges of her decency. In a quick tug-of-war, both of them yanked, causing them to crash in a heap.

After a few moments, Jin recovered. Giving a groan and shaking his head slightly, he braced himself on his elbows. If anyone walked in on them, they'd make a pretty good picture. For the tabloids, that is.

Her face told of slight pain, beautiful nevertheless. Totally unaware of himself, Jin stared at her creased little forehead, her wrinkled button nose, her rose-pink lip tucked under her white teeth. But it wasn't what he saw that strangely, overwhelmingly excited him.

Have I been without the company of a woman too long? Is two weeks THAT long?

There they lay on the floor, chest to chest, skin to skin. He permitted himself a glance downward and saw the delicate curve of her hip.

What a big, juicy headline they would make.

Xiaoyu squinted and tried to get rid of the unwelcome weight settled on top of her.

"Don't move."

His voice was rich and deep, cautious, and strangled. She opened her eyes and froze. Despite the room's cold temperature, it was unbearably warm. They – she – were unbearably warm. On top of her was this strangely stimulating man. He was naked from the waist up, staring at her with luscious brown eyes. When she realized that SHE was stark naked and only a sheet of silk separated them below, Xiaoyu's eyes grew wide with shock and fear.

All of a sudden, their anger seemed to have evaporated as they realized the situation they were in… or not.

Xiaoyu let out an ear-piercing scream.

Not taking any chances of alarming anybody who could possibly drop by, Jin did the one thing he thought would drown out her voice.

His lips swooped down and captured hers. When she screamed into his mouth once more, Jin drew her tongue and pressed his body against her. Xiaoyu relented, melting into his arms, responding to him shakily. After a seemingly endless moment and out of breath, they broke their heated kiss, albeit reluctantly.

"Quiet," Jin murmured, his hot breath fanning her ear and cheek.

"You've given more than enough reason to scream now."

"If you don't, things are going to get more complicated than they are," he said, carefully sitting up. Sure to focus on her eyes, he covered her again with the towel. "Let's settle this like adults for both our sakes."

Xiaoyu sat up and made sure that they were quite apart. "You started it. I don't know how you got in here but it was awfully rude and perverted of you," she spoke in between pants.

"You're forgetting I helped you just today."

She tipped her chin up. "Well, I've said my thanks. That doesn't change anything! You took advantage of me! If you wanted me to shut up, you could have told me right away! You could have done anything and everything except what YOU did! I should have you arrested, you lecher!"

Jin gave an unbelieving laugh. "You can't do that."

"Try me," Xiaoyu spat.

He stood up as if she didn't say anything. "And look at you, the flush on your face says it all. Don't you really know me? I found it cute at first, but threatening me is so not sexy of you."

Xiaoyu rose and met his measuring glance. "No, I don't. I don't care who you are because what you did was unfounded. I ought to call the police!"

"You'll do no such thing," Jin said with a tone of finality. "The farthest you'll ever go would be on tabloids. It won't look good for either of us. Or I can turn the odds against you. Forget about it. You can stay here. I'll figure out what to do with the guests."

Xiaoyu felt her cheeks flame in anger. "Who do you think you are?"

"Jin Kazama, that's who."

After the casual reply, the door closed with a smart click.

"Jin Kazama?" She couldn't believe her ears. The Jin Kazama was gorgeous... definitely gorgeous. Letting out a growl of frustration, she quickly swatted the thought and picked up her clothes. In her haste, she didn't realize something had been missing.

On the other side, Jin pulled the flimsy material out of his pocket. He couldn't contain the smirk spreading across his face. "Niiice, very nice… And very, very naughty."

Whew! A rather difficult situation, don't you think?

Anyway… there are rooms in hotels that are adjoined. I know the circumstances are outrageous, but, it's not like I'm the first one to create something as bogus. I just thought it would be fun to make a "walk in" scene, and perfect for an introduction. I just hope you liked it as much as I did. This was a chapter I had fun writing… well, anything with fruity goodness is fun to write and read… snickers

I find myself quite livid this particular day. I was really into buying Samurai 7 but I read some not so pretty reviews and literally nasty twists in the ending. I don't know if it's the fangirl in me or the fact that I've been able to watch the original or a samurai girl or just plain romantic… If you've watched it, YOU know what I'm talking about. It's the type of wedge that would give you the urge to smack the next person to you upside down… or give you a heart attack. Then again, I might very well be exaggerating, but it can be as much as a let-down. It's going to drive me crazy for a few nights probably… Sometimes (and I repeat) sometimes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Now that I think about it, it may have been cool to see the original in animation. If Ninja Scroll and RK OAVs are enough evidence, it's going to be just spectacular. In the meantime, I think I'll stick to the movie… Again, what does this have to do with anything in this fanfic? Nothing.