Chapter Eleven: Human Hurdle
Darkness. Soft, warm and comfortable. Xiaoyu let a tiny sigh of contentment escape from her lips as she snuggled more deeply into her pillows. Feels so good, she thought hazily. Just let me sleep five more minutes... A low hum tickled at her ears, but she ignored it, trying to will herself to sink back into the darkness.
The inconsiderate buzzing grew louder, bringing with it other unwelcome guests, such as light and sensation. Still trying to avoid the inevitable task of waking up, Xiaoyu screwed her eyes shut tightly and grabbed onto her pillow. It was no use; consciousness would not leave her alone. As a final gift, it brought to her memory, and her eyes shot open as she remembered her bout with Feng Wei.
"I won!" she exclaimed, then winced, surprised at the roughness of her voice and the sore throat she was sporting. She blinked and squinted as a light laugh greeted her, and turned her head towards the blob hovering next to her face. After a moment of staring, it came into focus, and she found herself looking into a pair of warm brown eyes.
"Yes, you did," Julia answered, easing Xiaoyu up into a sitting position and tucking a few pillows behind her back. "Don't try to move too much yet, you broke two ribs," she said gently.
Xiaoyu flapped her hands towards her throat with wide eyes, and Julia nodded, handing her a small glass of water. After gulping it down hastily, she swallowed thickly and took in her surroundings. "Is this the hospital?" she asked after a moment. "How'd I get here?"
Julia smiled, retrieving the glass and setting it down on the nightstand next to the bed. "Well, technically, you could say I carried you here over my shoulder. I'm sorry if I bruised your ribs a little more than they already were, but it was the only way to get you out of that forest. I can't believe Hwoarang left you alone up there!" Standing, she motioned for Xiaoyu to stay put as she made her way towards the door. "Hang on a second, there's someone who wants to see you. She leaned out of the room and nodded, and there was an excited yell as she drew back and Asuka stormed into the room.
"Xiaoyu! You're finally awake, that's so great! You were starting to get us all worried, you know," she said, her lips twisting upwards into a wild grin.
"Asuka?" Xiaoyu repeated, surprised to see the younger girl. "How'd you know I was here?"
Asuka laughed and pumped her arm into the air energetically. "Everybody knows you're here. That fight was spectacular, it got the highest ratings on the network so far! You should've seen the media feeding frenzy, they were calling it The Clash of the Chinese Champions!"
Xiaoyu's mouth dropped open. "What? I'm a Chinese champion now? You're kidding." She slapped her forehead and dropped her head forward with a groan. "You mean I finally have a match good enough to transform me into a Tekken celebrity, and I slept through the whole thing? Ohhhh!" she cried out.
"You didn't sleep through it," Julia interrupted mildly. "You were unconscious for almost a whole day. The injuries from the fight combined with all that smoke inhalation could have killed you." Her tone was chastising, but Xiaoyu ignored the other girl. Everyone who entered the competition knew that it could be dangerous, even deadly at times.
"No risk, no fun," she said with a wince as her fingers probed the bandages at her side. That made her think of Hwoarang, and she glanced over at Julia curiously. "Has anyone else been here to see me?" She tried to ignore the small pang of disappointment as the older girl shook her head. So one else came, not even Heihachi or Miharu. That sent another small wave of discouragement through her. Well, at least I won the match on my own. A small gasp escaped her as another thought passed through Xiaoyu's mind. "What about Feng Wei? Did he make it out okay?"
Asuka clucked her tongue, flopping into one of the hospital chairs against the wall and lazily slinging a leg over the armrest. "That jerk just left you there passed out on the ground. He didn't tell anyone you were hurt, either!" she growled, clenching her hand into a fist. "I'm glad you beat the crap out of him this time, but one day I'll personally find him and make him pay for everything," she swore, her eyes narrowing as she stared blankly into the whitewashed ceiling.
"Whoa," Xiaoyu said, feeling waves of anger rolling off of the young girl. Asuka's cheerful nature was offset by her sporadically violent attitude; it was like the girl had split personalities at times. "Why are you so upset about it?" she asked.
Asuka's eyes focused on Xiaoyu once more, and she laughed loudly. "Oh, it's something personal," she explained. "Maybe I'll tell you someday."
"Anyway," Julia said, leaning against the wall and crossing her arms, "It's lucky I came up there to look for you after you missed our meeting. Those Tournament officials really let things get out of hand just for the sake of a few pyrotechnics!" Her mouth drew into a thin line, the disapproving scowl marring her otherwise beautiful features. "Not only endangering the lives of the competitors, but also burning down that beautiful old temple and the surrounding trees!"
Xiaoyu looked down at her hands, picking nervously at a thread on the edge of her blanket. "Well, see, the fire wasn't really planned for that match," she began. The colour drained out of her face as she noticed her hands were empty. "Oh no! I lost it!" she cried, her hands darting to her chest to be met only by the thin, crumpled paper of the hospital robe. "Where's my vest?" she yelled, before breaking down into a few hacking coughs from the sudden shout.
Julia smiled at Xiaoyu, pushing herself off of the wall. "Relax. Were you looking for this?" she asked, drawing a small silver chain from her pocket and dangling it before Xiaoyu. Attached to the end was the white feather, almost luminescent in the fluorescent light. The shaft of the feather had been carefully fastened with metal wire onto a delicate silver mount, and Xiaoyu let out a small coo as she reached for the necklace and studied the adornment intently.
"Wow, it's beautiful," she breathed, holding the lengthy silver chain up and letting the feather twist slowly in midair. "Did you make this yourself?"
Julia nodded, smiling as she pulled another chair close to the bed and sat onto it. "I had a little extra time while I was waiting for you to come to. They practically had to pry this thing out of your hand, so I thought it might be important."
"Say, that's a pretty nice feather," Asuka said, blinking and jumping out of her chair, leaning onto the bed to get a closer look. Xiaoyu gave a little yelp as the other girl placed her hand carelessly on one of the many black and blue spots on her leg, and Julia shot the Japanese girl a warning look. Asuka grinned apologetically and backed away before turning her attention back to the spinning necklace. "I've never seen any feather that white before," she noted, planting a hand on her hip. "There's something funny about it…" she mused, leaning in for a closer look.
Xiaoyu gulped and quickly looped the long silver chain around her neck, dropping the feather down her shirt and away from Asuka's prying eyes. "It's just something I found lying around," she fenced, smiling brightly. "I thought it looked neat so I picked it up, that's all."
Julia's eyebrows drew together speculatively, but Asuka grinned and shrugged carelessly. "Whatever you say," the younger girl said with a smile. She spared a quick glance at her watch and her eyes bulged. "Oh, shoot, I've gotta run. My next match is coming up soon!" Her eyes sparkled and an eager grin graced her face as she clapped her fist in her palm a few times. "Maybe I'll have a battle as cool as yours and get on TV too, huh?" she said to Xiaoyu.
"As long as you don't end up in a hospital," Julia answered with a small smile. "I'm getting tired of accompanying people here."
Asuka barked out a loud laugh and nodded wildly. "Alright, I promise not to send whoever I fight next to the hospital. See you guys later!" With a quick wave, she sprinted out the door.
Xiaoyu smiled and leaned back into her pillow. "She's really nice," she said. "We're not even that close, and she still came to visit me."
Julia gave a soft hum of agreement and carefully shut the door to the room. "Yes, she's a little bit immature, but she has a good heart and she's a strong fighter."
"A strong fighter?" Xiaoyu said curiously, and Julia fixed her with a wry smile.
"A very strong fighter. She beat me, after all."
This made Xiaoyu shoot up in her bed and then moan as she collapsed back onto the pillows, holding her side. "What? What do you mean she beat you?"
"I told you, you've been out for an entire day. I already took part in my scheduled tournament battle with Asuka. It wasn't quite as exciting as yours, but it was still a good workout."
Xiaoyu stared at Julia in shock. "I missed that too! That's so unfair," she said, pouting. "You really lost to her? How come, you're so strong! And why aren't you upset?"
Julia approached the bedside and settled in the chair next to Xiaoyu. "Feng Wei was strong too, but you won against him. It's not always about strength." She sighed and smoothed her braids back. "Besides, with you helping me, I don't need to take part in the Tournament to get my data back. I don't really mind, either. Personally I find these competitions to be senseless and entirely too brutal."
Xiaoyu nodded slightly, still somewhat disappointed that she had missed one of Julia's matches. "At least we won't have to fight each other. I'm surprised at you, though. You're so put together! I don't understand how someone like Asuka could beat you."
A slight smile passed across Julia's face. "That girl harbours great spiritual power. Temperamental as she might be, her heart is pure. It gives her a great strength which I think even she doesn't fully realize that she has. If you have to face her in the Tournament later on, you're going to be hard pressed to beat her." She took a closer look at Xiaoyu's drawn face and frowned. "You know, your own spirit seems disturbed at the moment." She waited, and when Xiaoyu didn't respond, she fixed the younger girl with a critical stare. "So what's the real story behind that feather, and where did that idiot Hwoarang run off to?" she asked bluntly.
Xiaoyu slowly pulled the necklace out and regarded the pure white feather. The silver chain was thin and delicate, and the feather as light as before, but somehow it still felt like iron shackles dragging a heavy boulder around her neck. It would be good to get all this off my chest, but can I trust her? Thinking about how Hwoarang had discovered Jin's "little secret" and what it had cost her made the decision easier. "It's a long story, so you'd better make yourself comfortable," she warned the older girl wearily.
- x – x – x -
Some time, one failed hospital tray and one smuggled pizza later, Xiaoyu finally finished relating the story of Jin's disappearance, her participation in the fourth tournament, the Mishima family curse and her encounters with Raven, Jin and Hwoarang to Julia.
"… and that's about it," she said, reaching for another slice of pizza and taking a huge bite out of it.
Julia hummed, resting her chin on her palm and staring out of the hospital window thoughtfully. "I always knew there was a dark secret in the Mishima family," she confided. "I know the G-Corp isn't much better, but at least they've been honest in their dealings with me so far. Still, something as serious as a demonic curse?" She shook her head slowly. "And you're certain Raven wasn't lying?"
Xiaoyu nodded, chewing her pizza and reaching for the bottle of cola. "Well, I saw Jin with my own eyes afterwards," she explained after swallowing. "I don't think he could have been the one organizing the tournament anyway." Thinking about her encounter with Jin made her appetite fade, and she flung the half-eaten slice back into the box, where it landed with a wet slap. "I really thought I could save him, but all I did was set the Devil free," she mumbled.
Julia sighed heavily and leaned back, stretching her arms behind her head. "Do you mean to say you really thought a walk in the sun would take care of his problem?" she asked after a moment, one eyebrow lifting slightly.
Xiaoyu blushed and toyed with the necklace around her neck. "It seemed like a good idea at the time," she admitted. "It wasn't just the sunlight, though. I thought we made a connection," she said sadly. "I know it sounds stupid, but I was hoping maybe the power of love or could cure him." She winced and peered at Julia, who had fixed an intense stare onto her. "It is stupid, isn't it," she continued in a small voice, looking down at her bed sheets and worrying free a few more loose threads on the edge.
Julia reached out, grasping Xiaoyu's hand and extracting it from the tangle of fabric. She gave it a gentle squeeze and smile reassuringly. "It's not a stupid theory, Xiaoyu. It's a very childish and romantic one, but sometimes the simple ideas are the best ones."
Xiaoyu looked up and smiled thankfully at the older girl, but the encouraging words couldn't completely drive away the moodiness she was feeling. "Thanks, Julia, but the point is that it still didn't work!" she wailed. "I don't know what to do next!"
Julia released Xiaoyu's hand and dropped her head, exhaling heavily. When she looked up, a note of seriousness played across her face. "I'm going to tell you something, Xiaoyu, and I don't want you to take it the wrong way," she began cautiously. "I admit, my experience with the supernatural ends with Toshin, but maybe I can help you find an answer to your problem from a fresh perspective."
Xiaoyu looked up hopefully and gave Julia a firm nod. "Go on, I'm completely out of ideas by now! I know you're really smart, so I bet you can come up with a better solution than mine."
"That's not quite what I wanted to talk about," Julia answered. "I actually can't think of any solution better than yours that wouldn't involve a medicine man, a tent and quite a few restraints." She gave the other girl a brief grin before continuing. "Maybe a greater power can save Jin. But are you sure you have that power?"
Xiaoyu's mouth fell open. "What do you mean? What power can be greater than love?" she exclaimed.
"None, really," Julia answered cryptically, staring at Xiaoyu. They had a brief staring match before Julia sighed and her shoulders sagged. "You really don't understand what I'm trying to say, do you," she groaned.
"No!" Xiaoyu answered, beginning to get a little miffed. "My head hurts, my lungs hurt and my ribs are broken. I don't need to answer any stupid riddles right now! Just say what you mean!"
Julia crossed her hands together and looked decidedly uncomfortable. "What I mean is, are you sure that you love Jin, Xiaoyu? I mean, really love Jin?" She paused and waited for the other girl's response.
"What kind of a question is that?" Xiaoyu yelled, getting angrier. "Of course I love Jin! I've loved him since I first laid eyes on him! Are you trying to say there's something wrong with that?" She snapped her mouth shut and crossed her arms angrily, flipping her head away from Julia. "What is this, pick on Xiaoyu week?"
Julia sat back and rubbed her temples, sighing deeply. "Listen. You told me everything you know about Jin, from the first time you met until just now. It seems to me that you two never actually had all that much time alone with each other. You yourself said you almost never saw him at home, and when you did, he was always busy doing something for Heihachi. You only briefly attended high school together, and you weren't even in the same class year. Then he left for Australia, and you only saw him again at a few fights during the fourth tournament."
"So?" Xiaoyu snapped, glancing at Julia with an angry glare. "I saw enough of him to know that I still love him! And what about that conversation in the temple? It proves he cares about me too!"
"No, it doesn't," Julia answered sharply. "It seems to me that you have a huge blind spot when it comes to understanding the Mishimas, Xiaoyu. You thought of Heihachi as family, but look at how he's treated you, even how he treats you now. Has he tried to contact you at all?" Noting Xiaoyu's sullen silence, she pressed on. "I'm sure Jin is a good person, and it seems like he really is trying to fight against his cursed bloodline. But I don't see how he could have time to develop those feelings for you with so much on his mind. And frankly, I don't see how you could find true love with him when you barely even know him."
Xiaoyu scowled, refusing to meet Julia's eyes. "You know, you're really starting to sound like Miharu!" she grumbled.
"This Miharu is probably a better friend than you think," Julia said reprovingly. "But to get back to the point, there's nothing wrong with having a crush on somebody else. Being infatuated with someone and being truly in love are two different things, though. Are you sure you can tell the difference?"
"I'm in love!" Xiaoyu said stubbornly, her mouth drawing into a tight frown. "What would you know about it anyway?" she said savagely, her temper still boiling.
"The question is what you would know about it," Julia answered, refusing to let the other girl throw her off. She was just as tenacious in her verbal arguments as she was in physical ones, and calmly continued to prod despite Xiaoyu's discomfort. "Everyone has known true love at some point in their life," she explained. "The lucky ones are those who manage to find it in other people, and have that love returned to them."
Xiaoyu turned her head slightly and regarded the other girl, curiosity ebbing away at the anger she was feeling. "Have you ever been in love before?" she asked.
"Of course," Julia answered with a smile. "I love my mother. I love my tribe, and most of all, I love the forest."
"That's not what I meant!" Xiaoyu answered with a huff. "I meant have you ever been in love with a boy!"
"You asked if I was in love," Julia replied. "I am, just not with 'a boy,' as you put it. I love nature much more than I could ever love other people. The power of real love is deeper than something as trifling as romance," she explained. "Real love can be difficult and painful. But it is a force that can change the world, and more importantly, change other people. That sort of power could possibly save Jin."
Xiaoyu sighed and slowly uncrossed her arms, reaching for the feather dangling from her neck once more. "You're starting to sound less like Miharu and more like my grandpa," she muttered. "Well, if you're such an expert on love, then, why don't you tell me what I need to do to find this 'true love' with Jin?"
Julia laughed, shaking her head slightly. "Well, that's a good start," she said encouragingly. "You care enough about Jin to want to save him from his fate. The answer should lie in your own heart, though. You can't just give other people instructions on how to fall in love, you know. It has to grow on its own."
Xiaoyu chewed her lower lip, thinking about Julia's words. "So how will I know the difference between being in true love and just being infatuated, then?" she asked timidly. "It always feels like it's real when I'm around Jin."
"I think you already know what real love feels like," Julia said with a tiny smile. "You obviously love your grandfather very much. And you love that pet of yours, Panda, don't you?" She waited for Xiaoyu's slow nod before continuing. "The Mishima family is cursed with something besides just the devil," she explained. "It seems to me like they never really learned what it means to love another human being. Don't let them be your guide when it comes to understanding matters of the heart." Leaning forward, she rested her hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "You have a beautiful, innocent spirit, Xiaoyu. I'm sure that one day you'll find real love, maybe even with that ideal 'boy' you spend all your time dreaming about right now. Just be careful that you don't jump to conclusions too quickly. Real love doesn't always come from the places you expect it to."
"That's it?" Xiaoyu said, feeling confused and vaguely disappointed. "I thought you were going to say something that was actually helpful," she pouted. Still, her anger at Julia's insinuations had faded away completely as she turned the Native American's pointed queries over in her head. She held up the necklace in the light and studied the pattern it made between the fine ridges on the feather.
How much do I really know about Jin? "Maybe…" she murmured, growing thoughtful as she scoured her memory. What's his favourite colour? His favourite food? What does he do in his spare time? What does he dream about? The answers she searched for were missing, like holes in a puzzle, preventing the image from becoming a unified whole. Panda's favourite colour is pink. Jinrei's favourite food is fried fish, especially the crispy head with the eyeballs still in it, gross! Miharu's totally addicted to soap operas. Julia dreams about saving her forest. Jin… what does Jin like? The only answer she could come up with was that he didn't like her in her school uniform. But the undercurrent of attraction, the speeding beat of her heart when she thought about his handsome face, that was definitely still there. "Just great," she mumbled, dropping the feather dejectedly and lowering her face into her hands.
"Well, you can look on the bright side," Julia began softly, trying to lighten Xiaoyu's sinking spirits. "If what you told me was right, at least Jin cares about you enough to try and protect you from getting hurt."
Xiaoyu looked up blearily. "What if that was just the Devil speaking, though, trying to use me?"
"Maybe. But I think at least in some small way, Jin must appreciate you. I don't think this Devil creature would give you such special treatment if the real Jin didn't have any interest in you."
"There's still that tiny little exorcism problem," she grumbled. "Are you sure you can't convince a medicine man to fly all the way to Tokyo?" she begged.
Julia smiled as she stood up and gave Xiaoyu a small hug. "We'll figure something out. Don't worry, no matter what happens I'll help you through this. It's the least I can do to repay you for helping me." The two girls drew away as a rude voice interrupted them.
"Well, shit. If I had known this was gonna turn into a lesbian orgy, I would've brought my camera." The crude commentary came from the direction of the door, and both girls shot the culprit a withering look. "Fine, I can tell where I'm not wanted," Hwoarang said after a moment, scowling and backing away. "Sorry for bothering you two."
"Wait a second," Xiaoyu called out, beckoning for the tall redhead to come in. "Don't go just yet, Hwoarang. We need to talk."
"Are you sure about that, Xiaoyu?" Julia said, giving Hwoarang a frosty glare. She sighed and released some of the tension in her shoulders as she caught Xiaoyu's slight nod. "Maybe it's better if I leave you two alone right now," she said, making her way towards the door. As she passed Hwoarang, she purposefully bumped her shoulder roughly against his arm, forcing him to stumble backwards. "You're a bastard," she hissed lowly through her teeth as she glared at the glowering Korean. "Xiaoyu might be a nice forgiving girl, but if you ever leave her alone in danger like that again, I'll toss you out the next window."
"Oh, I'm so scared," Hwoarang said with a smirk. "Heard you got eliminated today, Chang. Tough luck, eh?" he responded caustically.
"Humph," Julia grunted, "I have no idea what she sees in you." She gave Hwoarang one final glare before pushing past him and leaving the room.
"Nice," he drawled, staring after Julia momentarily before turning around to face Xiaoyu. "Body of a goddess, personality of the devil. Now that's what I call one-hundred-percent bitch."
Xiaoyu frowned at Hwoarang. "Sit down," she growled. "And don't talk about Julia like that, she's my friend." She paused, then glared at Hwoarang, who shifted uncomfortably under her scrutiny. "I should be really angry at you," she grumbled.
"I know," Hwoarang said, pulling out the hand he had been holding behind his back. He shoved the bundle of dripping yellow daisies he was holding roughly towards Xiaoyu and then settled backwards into the chair after she took them, crossing his arms and focusing his embarrassed glare on the ceiling.
Xiaoyu stared at the bouquet in surprise; the daisies were large and fresh, filling the air with a sweet scent. A wide smile broke over her face as she studied the flowers. "Wow, these are my favourite!" she exclaimed, carefully looking the bundle over. "How did you know?"
"Well, uh, I didn't," Hwoarang said, rubbing the back of his head nervously as he saw Xiaoyu pull out a card tucked away between the leaves.
"To my dearest Alice, hope you get over that broken leg soon. Lots of love, Dad." She looked up from the small card and stared at Hwoarang in disbelief. "You stole these from someone?"
"So what? It's the thought that counts," Hwoarang answered carelessly, settling into the chair next to her bed.
"That's not the point! You're not –"
WHAP!
"- supposed to steal -"
WHAP!
"- flowers -"
WHAP!
"- from other patients, especially helpless little girls!" she shouted, slapping the bouquet over Hwoarang's head at each pause for emphasis.
"Hey! Quit it! Geez, if it makes you feel any better, she weighed about 300 pounds! Little Alice probably broke her leg trying to walk!" He scowled and ducked again as Xiaoyu gave him one final beating with the now-threadbare bouquet before flinging it onto the table.
"And don't insult people you don't even know!" Xiaoyu finished angrily, flopping back onto the bed with a wince. "Oww, I hope you know how much it hurt to do that just now," she muttered.
Hwoarang gave her a lopsided grin. "Glad to know I'm still important enough to get you out of your deathbed," he told her with satisfaction.
Xiaoyu rolled her eyes in frustration. "With an ego that big, I just know you've got to be compensating for something," she answered tartly. "What are you doing here anyway? I thought you were mad at me, too."
"I am," Hwoarang said, leaning on one leg and glaring at Xiaoyu. "He blew up my fucking bike, Xiaoyu. That bike was my baby."
"So you left me there just because of your bike, huh," Xiaoyu said quietly, trying to hide the note of hurt in her voice. "Nice to know where I stand."
"Hell no! I'm just most pissed off about the bike right now," he said loudly. "What is it with girls, anyway? Answer them honestly and they either wanna scalp ya or turn on the waterworks!" His expression softened slightly as Xiaoyu turned her head away, looking more upset. "Aww, c'mon, it was a joke. Shit, wait a second," he said, fumbling clumsily for the box of tissues on the nightstand as Xiaoyu sniffed loudly. He waved the box towards her, looking uncomfortable. "Look, I'm sorry. Here, just… take them and don't start sobbing again, alright?"
Xiaoyu had actually stopped feeling bad as soon as he answered, but she gave Hwoarang a spiteful mental grin, enjoying his discomfort as she dabbed at her eyes dramatically with a tissue. She sniffled loudly once more just to make him feel bad, then put away the tissue and turned serious. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Jin before," she began slowly. "I wasn't sure if I could trust you. Besides, you have to admit, you're a big jerk."
"I'm not as big of an asshole as that thing that tried to kill you," he answered, his eyes narrowing. "What happened to you anyway? You got no problems dumping on someone like me, but someone wearing Kazama's face calls you a whore, your answer is to say you love him?" He ran his hands through his hair and exhaled noisily through his nostrils. "Sorry," he said after a moment. "I didn't come here to pick another fight with you." He sneaked a glance back at Xiaoyu and scowled in confusion. "What now?"
Xiaoyu was staring at Hwoarang with wide eyes. "T-that's why you were so mad?" she murmured.
Hwoarang looked more confused, and then decided on the simple route of replacing confusion with anger. "Yeah! Did that goddamn monk give you brain damage or something?" The anger switched back to confusion as Xiaoyu giggled at him. "Did I miss something?" he said.
"You're jealous!" she said, pointing at Hwoarang, who instantly flushed red.
"WHAT?" he yelled, jumping up from the chair so suddenly it made a loud screech against the floor. "I am not fucking jealous!"
"Oh, sit down," Xiaoyu said, still snorting and waving at the misplaced chair. "It's okay, you don't have to be shy about it." She stopped smiling as Hwoarang grumbled and flipped the chair around, sitting on it backwards and crossing his arms over the backrest.
"You need your head checked," he growled at her. "There's no way in hell I could be jealous of a guy who called you a 'ho." He clenched his fist tightly and grit his teeth. "Look, maybe I don't come from the best neighbourhood like Kazama does, but even in my gang we knew the rules." He looked up sharply at Xiaoyu. "You got it bad for him, I can tell. But damn, woman, at least keep your self-respect!"
Xiaoyu flushed guiltily and began to worry the edge of her bedspread again. "I know. But it wasn't really Jin that said those terrible things to me," she mumbled.
Hwoarang sighed and ran his fingers through his hair again. "Alright. Just promise me one thing. If something like that ever happens again, just pretend it's me sayin' those things, then you can do what you need to do to shut him up."
"Why you?" she asked dumbly.
Hwoarang only stared at her like she had grown a second head.
Xiaoyu blinked, turning her face away from him as she thought about it. If Hwoarang had said something like that to me, I'd be… hurt, not angry. I would have been angry before, but something's changed, she realized. That thought took her by surprise, and a tense silence stretched between them as a blush began to bloom over Xiaoyu's face. "Yeah, well, let's just hope that sort of thing never happens again, right?" she covered, coughing into her hand noisily.
Hwoarang grunted in assent. "By the way, you did good," he said roughly, not meeting her eyes.
"The match, you mean?" Xiaoyu said, wincing as she laid a hand over her bandaged side. "If breaking two ribs and passing out directly afterwards means good, then yeah, I guess," she said sourly. "I even heard Feng managed to walk away from it."
Hwoarang shook his head slightly. "Naw, I mean it. They actually aired the whole thing uncut on the tube. You really kicked his ass," he said with grin. "Even if that bastard got away before you, he was definitely limping."
A smile bloomed across Xiaoyu's face when she heard his reply, and a warm, comfortable feeling settled into her stomach with the compliment. "Thanks," she said. "Still, I got beat up pretty bad. I don't know if I'll make it past the next round," she admitted, worrying her lower lip.
"You'll make it," Hwoarang said confidently, slumping down in the chair.
Xiaoyu couldn't stop from grinning in response to his declaration. "Why are you so certain? You think your ego alone can carry me through the next fight?"
"Not really," Hwoarang said lazily, waving a hand through the air. "But see, you still owe me. So you're gonna show up to your next match wearing what I tell you to whether you like it or not."
The smile dropped off of Xiaoyu's face and a tiny headache began to blossom. "What?" she asked dangerously. "What do you mean I STILL owe you? You can't be serious about that Raven thing, he was trying to KILL us!" she said, her voice slowly rising into a shout.
"Hell yeah," Hwoarang said, sitting up and grinning sadistically. "Not only that, like I said, you cost me a bike. This time, you're really gonna pay."
"Pay?" Xiaoyu screeched, reaching for the pillow behind her. "I'll give you your payment right now!" she yelled, getting ready to slam the redhead with it.
Hwoarang laughed as he leapt out of the chair and sauntered towards the door, ignoring Xiaoyu's threats and curses. "Relax, I'll make sure your next costume covers a little more," he promised.
"Screw you!" Xiaoyu responded, dropping the pillow in frustration as Hwoarang moved out of her reach. She stopped fuming as she realized he was still standing at the door. "What's up?" she asked guardedly.
"You're gonna keep going until you find him, aren't you," Hwoarang said, looking at Xiaoyu with an odd expression.
Xiaoyu hesitated, and then nodded slowly. "Yeah," she said softly. "I have to try my best to help him. I… I can't really explain it," she mumbled, thinking of her conversation with Julia. She looked up in surprise when he spoke, his tone uncharacteristically thoughtful.
"You ain't the only one who's worried about that asshole," he mumbled. Noting Xiaoyu's attention, he coughed and crossed his arms, his face dropping into a scowl. "What the hell. If I let someone like you go at it alone, you're gonna end up getting hurt."
Xiaoyu regarded Hwoarang with wide eyes. "You're going to help me find a cure for Jin too?" she asked uncertainly.
The Korean's scowl quickly lifted into his lopsided, cynical grin. "Hell yeah. I'll be there when you face him again. That bastard owes me more than you do." He gave Xiaoyu a small salute. "Catch you later, sunshine," he laughed, strolling out of the room.
AN: I know, I know. "OMG A CHAPTER WITH NO ACTION IN IT !11!11!" ;-) I hope it doesn't read like an after school special. After all this dialogue, though, I think I'm going to have fun writing up a Julia romance when this story is finished, make her eat her own medicine so to speak. Arg, I can't believe I'm already planning my next fanfiction. EVIL TEKKEN! EVIL!