Chapter Sixteen: April Showers
"Hey Miharu," Xiaoyu said gently, leaning over the bed and grasping her friend's hand in her own. "It's the seventh day of the tournament. Things are winding down now."
Miharu remained unresponsive, her face set in peaceful repose as the gentle clicking of the machines around her did their work to keep her body alive. Xiaoyu smiled and continued, dimly noticing how pale and fragile Miharu's neatly manicured fingernails looked. Her own fingers were hardened and rough, covered with small scratches and bruises from overuse in the tournament. Elephant in a porcelain shop, she suddenly thought. Only she had broken Miharu, not just some china cup. She closed her eyes and tried to wish away the feeling of emptiness that surrounded her friend's body.
"There aren't many contestants left. Hwoarang got eliminated. I guess I didn't get a chance to tell you about him. He was a real jerk at first, but somehow we've become friends now. I think he might even like me. He stole my first kiss, can you believe that?" She smiled slightly. "I know, I know what you'd say. Forget about Jin and move on, right? I can't just yet, though. I need to see him first, to talk to the real him, not just the devil." She paused, and looked at her friend's pale face. "Asuka made it to the next round. So did Kazuya." She took a deep breath. "That means I'm probably going to have to fight either Asuka or Kazuya if I win my match today." She gave Miharu's hand a final squeeze and stood up. "Sorry, I know you don't really follow the tournaments that much. Just wish me luck today, okay?" she said, letting go.
As Xiaoyu exited the room, she caught a glance of Miharu's mother, speaking wearily with one of the doctors. Dark circles ringed her eyes, and she looked harried and pale. Guilt overwhelmed Xiaoyu, and she turned away and hurried down the corridor as inconspicuously as she could. The last thing she wanted was a confrontation with Miharu's parents. "Oh, yeah, um, actually I do know why Miharu won't wake up. She sort of lost her soul. Don't worry, I'll get it back, just hang in until then!" Xiaoyu shook her head and made her way downstairs, stopping on a lower floor of the hospital. Winding her way through the busy corridor, she found the room she was looking for and stepped in.
Julia looked up as she entered and smiled mildly. "Hello, Xiaoyu," she greeted the other girl.
Xiaoyu gave her a perfunctory nod and looked over at Hwoarang, who was standing with his back to her, staring out the window. "Are you sure you should be up already?" she asked the redhead, who only turned slightly and snorted at her. She noted with some relief that the damage to his face was not as bad as she had first thought, though his left eye still looked like a bloody eggplant. Julia was not much better off, Steve's punch having left a huge welt across the greater half of her cheek. Next to each other, they looked like members from a band of street thugs, something that probably would have pleased Hwoarang and horrified Julia. "Either you guys had a rough week, or black and blue is coming into fashion!" she said with a smile.
Julia cupped her bruised cheek with a small sigh of exasperation. "It's nice to see you again too, Xiaoyu," she said with a small grin. "I was really worried about you after Yoshimitsu just took off like that." She grew serious and dipped her head at the silent Korean. "You should know, I told Hwoarang what happened yesterday… and at Tokyo Tower."
Xiaoyu bit her lip. "Everything?" she said, looking at Hwoarang, who had turned around. He didn't look pleased. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Julia give a slight nod, and her shoulders sagged. "Well… okay. At least you're not fighting each other anymore."
"Who are you kiddin'?" Hwoarang exploded. "First of all, that prick misses our match because he was too busy harassin' your friends." He turned and faced Julia. "And what kind of brainiac plan was that, using Xiaoyu to storm the Corp headquarters? I thought you were supposed to be smart!" he yelled, directing his ire at the older girl.
Julia flinched, but didn't pull away from Hwoarang's scrutiny. "We did what we needed to do," she answered levelly. "And Xiaoyu knows that I'm not just using her for my own selfish goals. Can we say the same about you?" she replied coolly.
Hwoarang raised a fist and opened his mouth, but Xiaoyu silenced him before he could reply. "Stop it, you two! I need you guys to get along, please!"
Julia directed her gaze downward at her clasped hands, and Hwoarang looked away angrily, but they both fell silent. "Are you ready for your match today?" Julia asked after a moment, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
Xiaoyu wrapped her arms around herself and winced slightly as she brushed over her sore ribs. "No, but I have to fight today no matter what, and how I feel won't make a difference." She paused, and then looked down at her wrinkled, dirty sweat suit with disgust. It was definitely worse for the wear, covered with the remainders of her exotic day-long adventure, ranging from chemical flame retardant to Hwoarang's blood. "And I need to pick up some new clothes before then."
Julia nodded and pushed herself out of the chair. "Alright. We can stop by my place before your match."
Xiaoyu nodded and smiled at her friend. "Thanks for putting up with me," she said gratefully.
"I'm not just putting up with you, Xiaoyu," Julia said seriously. "Hwoarang is right, in a way. My actions drove you out of your house and home. I still haven't apologized for that," she continued with a touch of guilt. "You're more than welcome to come back to the United States with me after all of this is over."
Xiaoyu shook her head, humming lightly. "Hey, it was my decision! Besides, I don't think I could ever call that place home again, knowing what I do now." She began to drift towards the door, a smile playing across her face. "The Tournament isn't over yet. If I win, then our break-in won't matter, right?"
Julia laughed lightly and nodded, grabbing onto Xiaoyu's elbow and guiding her out of the room. They paused as Hwoarang stopped them.
"Well hey, don't let me interrupt your Hallmark moment, but were you two just plannin' on leavin' me here?" he growled sarcastically at them.
Xiaoyu paused and looked back at Hwoarang, who had crossed his arms and was staring at her expectantly. With a tiny sigh, she glanced at Julia. "Is it okay if he comes along?" she asked in a small voice.
"I don't need her permission!" Hwoarang said immediately, ignoring Xiaoyu's poorly concealed attempts to placate him with her waving hands.
Julia frowned and gave Hwoarang an appraising stare. "Well, it's best to keep your friends close and your enemies closer," she said, arching an eyebrow at the redhead. "We probably couldn't stop him from following you anyway. Besides, if he's with us, he can hold the bags while we go shopping for your new clothes." She grinned slightly and turned, pulling Xiaoyu out of the room.
"Bitch," Hwoarang muttered under his breath with a smirk. Then the smirk dropped. "Wait one damn minute!" he yelled after them. "Shopping?"
- x – x – x -
Some time later, the unlikely trio found themselves back at Julia's hotel room. Hwoarang was lounging lazily across a chair with the television remote in hand, and Julia was doing her best to studiously ignore him as she tapped away at her laptop.
"What the hell's taking her so long?" Hwoarang asked after a minute, finally getting bored with his constant channel switching activity. Noting Julia's lack of response, he flipped the television to an unusually obnoxious program and turned up the volume. The sound of a home shopping network host desperately trying to sell off a salad-dicer filled the room, and finally Julia peered up over the top at her computer at Hwoarang.
"Would you turn that down please?" she yelled, sighing in vexation as Hwoarang yawned and pretended to be interested in the show. Getting up, she strode to the TV and slammed the switch off, then turned around and faced the Korean with an irate look.
"Oh, sorry, guess I couldn't hear ya," Hwoarang sneered at her, tossing the remote on to the bed.
Julia narrowed her eyes, then exhaled heavily. "In case you haven't noticed by now, a girl like Xiaoyu doesn't just hop under a two-minute cold shower and declare herself ready for the next adventure. She needs time to prepare herself. Just show a little patience for once."
Hwoarang rolled his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall. "I don't get why the hell you girls spend so much time makin' yourselves 'pretty.' Do you think guys really care about all that crap?" he said with boredom. "Just show a little T and A and we're happy."
"Neanderthal," Julia muttered, giving up and returning to her computer.
They both looked up at the sound of the bathroom door opening, and Xiaoyu stepped out, making a few last adjustments to her ponytails. "Well? What do you think?" she asked, twirling around.
Julia stared, blinking her eyes a few times, and then gave Xiaoyu a huge smile. "Well, it's not quite as bulky as the other costume, but I guess that would still make your Panda happy," she laughed. "Only you could come up with something like that."
Xiaoyu smiled and fluffed the furry shoulder poufs on her newly acquired costume. The fur-lined miniskirt and top were dyed in black and white to emulate Panda's natural colouring, and a pair of black fur-lined socks and gloves completed the illusion. There was even a small black collar around her neck and a furry pouf hanging off of her belt like a tail. The skimpy costume showed off quite a bit of her legs and her midriff, and yet somehow was ridiculous enough to keep her from looking indecent. Not ridiculous enough, however, to keep Hwoarang's mouth shut.
"I can see your underwear," was his first observation. "Wow, Sunshine, didn't know you liked black!" he added with a low whistle. Seeing two pairs of glares focus on him, he sat up and shrugged. "What, you asked!" he exclaimed.
Xiaoyu sighed and looked into the full-length mirror apprehensively. "I wanted to make a big impression for this battle. You really think it's too much?" she said disappointedly, picking at the fur.
"No, you look fine, Xiaoyu," Julia said soothingly, giving Hwoarang an angry glare and tilting her head towards him expectantly. Seeing him scowl in confusion, she loudly added "Don't you think so, Hwoarang?"
Hwoarang groaned and stood up, crossing his arms. "You look good," he said finally. His eyes fixed onto her hands, and feeling self-conscious, Xiaoyu raised her arms and studied them carefully.
"Is there something wrong with my gloves?" she asked.
Hwoarang shook his head, snapping his eyes away from Xiaoyu and to the ceiling, as if he'd been caught red-handed gawking at her breasts. "Naw, nothing's wrong with them. I just never saw you without those donuts on," he coughed. "I didn't realize your wrists were so… small."
Xiaoyu peered at Hwoarang and then shrugged. "You're weird," she said simply, and then returned to the bathroom to finish gathering her things. Julia, on the other hand, hooked her thumb beneath her chin and regarded Hwoarang thoughtfully.
"What?" he said angrily, noticing Julia's scrutiny.
Julia shook her head and smiled slightly, dropping her hand. "So that's why she puts up with you," she murmured with a small grin.
"And what the hell's that supposed to mean?" Hwoarang said, uncrossing his arms and scowling at the tall girl.
"Just that you finally found something you like more than your bike," she answered, laughing. Ignoring Hwoarang's curse, she leaned into the bathroom and called Xiaoyu. "Come on, we'd better get going. I'm not entirely sure where your match is, and it's getting late."
Xiaoyu nodded, coming out of the bathroom and slinging on the small backpack filled with her meagre possessions. "I'm ready to go. Don't worry, though, I think I know where we're headed. It's probably Uncle Lee's building."
As they exited the room, Hwoarang rubbed the back of his head. "Wait a sec. What's with calling him 'Uncle' Lee? You're related to this dude?"
Xiaoyu shook her head as they entered the elevator, ignoring the stares they gathered from the other hotel patrons as they rode down to the lobby. When they were free of the crowd of strangers, she answered him. "Lee Chaolan isn't really my uncle, but he trained under my grandfather. Sometimes he'd come to visit us in China when I was a little kid, so I started calling him 'uncle.' He really hates it, though," she giggled.
Julia, who had been waving down a taxi, frowned as she returned and picked up on the conversation. As they all piled in, she cleared her throat. "Are you sure you'll be able to win this battle, Xiaoyu? If this man trained under your grandfather, you might have some difficulty fighting him."
Xiaoyu leaned back and stared out of the window, watching the buildings fly by. "I won't," she said confidently. "Uncle Lee's nothing but a big poser. He gets distracted easily and he's totally predictable." She turned and gave a sunny smile to her companions. "Compared to everything else we've been through, this should be a piece of cake!"
Soon, the cab pulled up to a large high-rise building, and Xiaoyu, Hwoarang and Julia exited the cab. The sun was high in the sky, bright and cheerful, as if trying to make up for all of the horrible nights that had passed during the tournament. The cheer it infused in Xiaoyu was infectious, and another smile crossed her face. "Something good is going to happen today, I know it!" she told her friends, skipping towards the building.
After registering at the lobby and a long elevator ride to the roof, the doors swung open and Hwoarang immediately grinned. "Hey, Sunshine, looks like you were right!" he laughed, strolling out onto the huge, white-tiled open pool deck and saluting at a few of the onlookers. All around them scantily-clad women lazed and bathed in the sun, sprawled over deck chairs or towels. Black-tied waiters scurried through the audience, providing a steady flow of drinks to the onlookers.
Julia sucked in her breath and shook her head in disbelief. "How can anyone be this wasteful and excessive?" she asked in disbelief.
Xiaoyu only smirked. "That's Uncle Lee for you," she explained. "I bet most of these women are his employees. Maybe he's even paying them to cheer him on. I told you he was easily distracted." She gave Julia a small parting wave and stepped out onto the tiled floor, scanning the crowd for Lee and mentally taking notes as she looked. Women… women… waiters… women… Jinrei… women… wait a second! "Grandpa?" she choked out with disbelief. As if sensing her attention, the old man looked towards her, lifting the sunglasses off of his face and sitting up from his deckchair. Xiaoyu immediately closed her eyes and winced. "Ugh, Jinrei without a shirt on. Thanks a lot for the mental scarring, grandpa," she muttered, making her way over to him.
"Xiaoyu, my dear child! I'm so glad you could come today!" Jinrei said, standing up and giving Xiaoyu a warm hug, which she returned eagerly.
"I was worried sick about you!" Xiaoyu said, carefully letting go of him and looking down. She was still in a bit of a shock to actually find him before her, but the reality of holding him was sinking in. It surprised her that she was taller than him; most of her memories of Jinrei centered around her looking upwards. Has it really been that long since I've seen him? she wondered. He looked frailer and older than she remembered, and she quickly gestured for him to sit down. "What are you doing in Japan? What are you doing here? And don't you think you have enough age spots already?" she said, half-questioning and half-scolding.
"Now now, my child. Be respectful of your elders!" Jinrei returned, settling back onto the deckchair and lowering the sunglasses over his eyes. "If you really must know, I asked your Uncle Lee if I could visit him for this tournament, and he agreed."
Xiaoyu felt her mouth drop open. "For the tournament?" she repeated faintly. Then she grit her teeth and balled her hands into fists in her lap. "Mama's been worried sick about you! I've been worried sick about you! There's some Chinese muscleman named Feng Wei looking to kill you! And you've just been sitting here all this time, hanging out with Uncle Lee and not telling any of us?" she yelled angrily.
"I said mind your manners!" Jinrei bellowed, a note of the old authority Xiaoyu remembered from their lessons entering his tone. Then he smiled and continued more gently. "I know about Feng Wei. You handled him most admirably, my dear. I was very proud of you." He reached out and gave Xiaoyu's palm a complimentary pat. "That young man has much potential in him. Maybe I'll take him as my student, if he can swallow that pride of his." He lowered his sunglasses and peeked at Xiaoyu from over the brim. "I am sorry about not contacting you sooner, my dear, precious child. But the time wasn't right."
Xiaoyu felt her eyes clouding with tears. Seeing Jinrei brought up a lot of feelings she didn't want to face. Homesickness, despair at everything she had seen and lived through until that point, and a childish desire to just fling herself into his arms and trust that her grandfather would take care of everything for her, as he had always done in the past. "Why wasn't the time right?" she asked with a sniffle. "You don't know what's been going on here… I really needed you!" she said.
Jinrei smiled and drew Xiaoyu into another careful hug. "Ahh, there there, my little sparrow, don't cry," he said, reverting back to the nickname he hadn't called her since she was a child. "I always wanted only the best for you, Xiaoyu. I had hoped that Heihachi could give you all the things I could not, and that you would soften his brittle heart." He gave Xiaoyu a tender kiss on the top of her head, and let her go. "Even if I was wrong, you've managed to grow up into a beautiful, strong girl, and you've brought our family much honour."
"Really?" Xiaoyu sniffled, smiling at her grandfather through her tears. She smiled as Jinrei nodded at her. "There are so many things I need to tell you," she began, swiping at her eyes.
"I know about your friend," Jinrei answered settling back into the chair. "And I know of the curse of the Mishima bloodline."
Xiaoyu paused, digesting the information. "You know?" she asked quietly. "What exactly do you know?"
Jinrei pointed at the feather pendant that still hung faithfully around Xiaoyu's neck. "I know your friend must recover her soul from the devil," he said. "I know you care very much for that poor young man who suffers from the Mishima curse. And I know that if you want to help them both," he said, leaning forward, the authority entering his voice again, "…you must lose this match today."
Xiaoyu's eyes popped open and she stared at Jinrei in shock. "What?" she yelled.
Jinrei sighed deeply. "You are such a proud girl. I never wanted you to participate in this Tournament, my child. I took measures to ensure that you didn't, but you never did like following my plans." His face grew pensive, and age settled around his features like a heavy blanket. "There is a force at work here that is much more terrible than you can imagine. My child, you are learning to see and understand things much faster than I could have hoped. But you are still not ready." He ignoring Xiaoyu's pained look as he grabbed onto her hand and trapped it in his iron grip. "You will not be ready in time to help anyone. This is not your fight. You must lose to Lee Chaolan!"
Xiaoyu snatched her hand away from her grandfather, glaring at him angrily. "What do you mean it's not my fight? It's been personal since the beginning! I've already lost so much! For Jin, for Miharu… how can you just say that?" she cried, standing up. "How can you ask me to lose again now?" She clenched her fists, a sense of helplessness and betrayal tossing her into the wind like a loose sail in a maelstrom, buoyed only by the burning anger in her chest.
Jinrei frowned at her. "This is not the time for another one of your temper tantrums, Xiaoyu," he said firmly. "I thought you might not agree to my request. That is why I have informed Lee about this situation as well. He may have lost his way many times, but I consider him to be my son just as much as you are my granddaughter. He will not fail." His features softened, and he tried one last time. "Will you not listen to me and spare yourself this pain, little sparrow?"
Xiaoyu trembled and swiped at her eyes quickly, willing away the tears. "I trusted you! How could you come back and do this to me?" she murmured, hiccupping.
"You will not change your course, then?" Jinrei asked her.
Taking a deep breath, Xiaoyu forced herself to calm down. When she was sure that her stomach had settled and the hiccups had stopped, she looked back up at her grandfather with hard eyes. "I'm set in my path," she answered, pushing her chin out defiantly. "I swore I'd help Jin, and I won't back down now, not even for you. It's my duty," she said firmly. To her surprise, she saw he was smiling.
"You are truly the blood of my own," he said with a touch of pride. The moment passed, and he pulled the sunglasses back down over his eyes, hiding them from her. "If you need your answers that badly, then I won't prevent you from finding them. When this business is finished, come to the fields of white near the cathedral ruins, when all is swallowed by moonlight." He looked away from her, his tone reproving. "I tried to warn you. Stubborn child."
Xiaoyu clenched her fists and stomped away from him, trying to pick up the broken thoughts scattered through her head. The speakers whined and the crowd began to cheer, and Xiaoyu remembered her original purpose, the immediate tournament battle before her. Focus, I have to focus, she reminded herself, taking a few deep breaths.
"Ling Xiaoyu," called a voice loudly, snapping her head up.
"Uncle Lee," Xiaoyu answered, seeing him approach. Despite being surrounded by all the women, the silver-haired man had foregone his usual tuxedo and was dressed in what she liked to call his "working clothes," a pair of black leather pants and a tight mesh shirt.
"Did you speak with Master Wang yet?" he asked her, his golden-brown eyes narrowing suspiciously.
Xiaoyu pointed a finger at him. "Uncle or not, you're still going to lose," she announced bravely.
Lee smirked at her. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that, Ling?" he said rudely. "I don't plan to lose to anyone, but having the Master's blessing on this fight will make it that much more enjoyable," he laughed, bowing deeply towards her.
"All wind and no fire," Xiaoyu shot back nastily, though she did return his bow respectfully. Neither of them were stupid; with Jinrei watching the fight from his chair they could verbally snipe as much as they wanted, but neither dared to do any more than that. Well, it proves we are both students of the same code of conduct, Xiaoyu noted with sour amusement. She sincerely hoped the similarity ended there.
"Presenting fight twenty-seven of the fifth King of Iron Fist Tournament!" The announcer's voice was back in full-blown public cheese mode, and Xiaoyu had to suppress a groan. "Today we bring you beauty versus the beast!" he continued. "Rich playboy Lee Chaolan fights against the innocent flower Ling Xiaoyu! Who will win?"
"I have to thank you for dressing the part of the beast today," Lee said snidely.
"Stuff it!" Xiaoyu responded curtly, dropping into her battle position.
"Do try to fight with a little less vulgarity than usual, Ling," Lee answered her, bending his knees and sinking into his own crouch, bouncing on his feet with an almost nervous energy.
The bell rung, and immediately, they began to circle each other. Xiaoyu felt sweat beading on her forehead; Lee might act flighty around other people, but she could tell when he meant business. He wasn't even posturing for the women surrounding them, which was unusual in itself. So he still respects Jinrei, she noted, angry at herself for the warm feeling it gave her. She couldn't help it; if her grandfather cared for Lee, then it was the least he could do to return the favour. It didn't bode well for her own fight, though. She also knew Lee was fast, exceptionally so. But I'm still faster, she reminded herself confidently, and moved in to attack.
Twirling, she spun herself to Lee's side, looking for an opening to catch him off guard. Finding one, she immediately bent forward and struck his exposed side with her left hand for a belly chop. As he jumped away from the light hit, she fell into her rain dance and threw herself backward. Rolling head over heels, she bent her knees and pushed upwards with both of her feet. The explosive kick worked, sending Lee flying up into the air, but as Xiaoyu came up to face him, she found she couldn't continue. Her ribs were far from healed, and the pain that blossomed across her side from the acrobatic move slowed her down. She clenched her teeth in frustration as Lee quickly recovered and closed her opportunity to strike. Shoot, she cursed to herself. I hope he didn't notice that. Unwilling to risk that he had seen her hesitation, she immediately lifted her foot in a diagonal sweep across her body, connecting with the side of Lee's head before he could duck away. As he lost his footing, she raised her right arm over her head and let out a loud yell, swivelling her left arm around and driving it into his chest.
Lee was tossed backwards with a grunt and went spinning into the fake marble columns set up by the edge of the poolside. There were a few screams of dismay and protest from the onlookers as he came too close to them, cracking the pole and sprinkling plaster everywhere. "Ugh!" he said, shaking his head and glaring at Xiaoyu. "Stop destroying my pool!" he growled at her.
Xiaoyu tried to open her mouth for a cheeky response, but her breath came out in a ragged gasp instead. Her ribs were on fire, and she concentrated on trying to hide the pain from Lee's calculating stare. "Just fight," she managed to say, sinking back into her standard battle crouch.
"It would be my pleasure," Lee said with a nasty grin, leaping into mid-air and bending his airborne body into a crouch.
Xiaoyu let out a yell of surprise as his extended foot connected to her chest, sending her tumbling backwards onto the tiled floor. She blinked, then rolled head over heels as she saw Lee somersaulting towards her, feeling the tips of his boots whiz by her forehead and sway her bangs gently. That was too close, she thought with a gulp, and then glared at Lee as he laughed at her. "I've had enough of this!" Xiaoyu yelled, sweeping down into her phoenix stance. Expecting her wave crest, Lee crossed his arms low to block the strike of her raising palms, but instead Xiaoyu lifted her leg straight upwards as she rose, driving her foot over his arms and directly into his face.
"My nose!" Lee bellowed, staggering backward and holding the aforementioned appendage with a high pitched scream. "Don't you dare touch my beautiful face again!" he yelled angrily after ensuring that his nose was not broken.
"Fine, not your face!" Xiaoyu yelled, crossing her palms over her head and then spinning downwards, striking him across the chest. Lee wheezed in surprise and took a few steps backwards, dropping to one knee. As he struggled to his feet, he formed his hands into fists, but stopped short as the bell rung. It was too late, and Xiaoyu smiled triumphantly as Lee kicked at the ground in frustration.
"Ling Xiaoyu wins!" crowed the announcer. "Fighters, take your position!"
As they approached each other for the next round, Xiaoyu smiled and showed Lee her victory sign. "I told you I would win," she laughed at him.
"Only once," Lee replied, his indignation dying quickly, only to be replaced with his intense stare. "I made a promise to Master Wang that I intend to keep." He bounced on his feet and held up his arms, glaring at her. "Come on!" he yelled.
The bell rang, and they began to circle each other again. I've got to knock him down, Xiaoyu thought to herself. Speed was the key; she was faster than Lee, but with her aching side, she had to make sure he didn't have the chance to hit her or wear down her endurance. Quickly, she struck out, slashing her left palm against Lee's face. As he recoiled from the blinding strike, she leaned back and lashed out with her left leg, catching him on the abdomen. Continuing her motion in a graceful arc forward, she reached out with both of her arms for a double-palmed strike, trying to knock Lee back. She gasped in surprise as her palms met no resistance.
"Come on," Lee's voice came from overhead as he leapt upwards and spun, arcing his back over her punch and twirling over her head. Xiaoyu whipped her own head over her shoulder and saw him land gracefully behind her. She cringed as he charged forward, recognizing his strike, one of the basic combinations Jinrei had taught them both, Lee's own personal variant of her bayonet thrust. His left fist slammed into her back, followed by his right. The third sent her reeling forward, toppling to the ground face-first as the breath rushed out of her lungs. With a grunt she rolled herself forward and came back to her feet, spinning around to face Lee. He was already leaning backwards, his knee bent for a kick that he had aimed at her neck. Automatically, Xiaoyu's hands came up to block him, catching onto his leg to try and redirect the momentum of the strike away from her body.
"Fool!" Lee yelled triumphantly as her hands closed around his foot. Xiaoyu felt his weight shift, and realized belatedly that his other foot was already swooping towards her head; he had used her own catch to provide enough resistance to twist himself off of the ground. His foot crashed into the side of her head, and she collapsed, seeing stars amidst a burst of pain. The throbbing spiked as she felt the tips of Lee's boots dig into her side, sending her rolling a few feet further back. Spasming, she came to a stop on her side and lifted herself gingerly to her elbows. Lee's high-pitched scream reached her ears, and Xiaoyu desperately tried to leap to her feet. She wasn't fast enough, though, and Lee's airborne kick connected, knocking her back into the wall of the pool with a crack. Dimly, Xiaoyu heard a few yells and curses as a couple of glasses of champagne rained around her, shattering on the hard porcelain floor. The glass and golden liquid sparkled in the sunlight, making her surroundings look magical and hazy, but the pain kept her from enjoying surrealistic view. "No," she mumbled, struggling to her feet as she heard the bell ring.
"What a comeback! Lee Chaolan wins!" gushed the announcer, loud cheers rising on every side from the crowds. "Fighters, take your position for the exciting final round!"
Xiaoyu placed her hand over her ribs and held them tightly, squeezing her eyes shut. Be strong, she told herself. Dimly, she thought she heard a few of Hwoarang's more choice curses being flung in Lee's direction. It brought a smile of relief to her face, remembering that the crowd wasn't entirely hostile.
"Do you give up?" Lee asked her, crossing his arms over his chest. His face was as hard as ever, but his voice was no longer playful, and he spoke lowly, only for her to hear. "Will you follow Master Wang's orders now?"
Forcing her hand away from her ribs, Xiaoyu wrapped her fingers around the feather pendant. Be strong, for Jin and Miharu! She opened her eyes and glared at Lee with all of the fury she could muster. "I'm not going to stop! You're only doing this because you have a bone to pick with Kazuya. I have a reason! I need to win this tournament, and I'll prove to grandpa that I can be strong enough!" she yelled at him. She advanced towards him and fell into her guard. "Stronger than you!"
Lee uncrossed his arms and bent his knees wordlessly, his glare never leaving her face. The bell rang, and Xiaoyu dropped to her phoenix crouch and reached out, wordlessly swiping at Lee with her left hand. It was an inelegant punch, and she followed it with a leaping pirouette, letting her heel snap the silver-haired man's jaw back. As he stumbled off balance, she decided to repay his somersault with a layout of her own, holding her arms out and letting her toes smack into his chin as she flipped head over heels. She landed back in her guard crouch and eyed her opponent warily, hoping her attack had fazed him.
Lee rubbed his chin with a small smile, then leaned back into a crouch and extended his arm very slowly. "Come here if you dare," he said, beckoning towards her with a single finger.
"No way," Xiaoyu said, lifting her arms and edging backwards. "I know you're planning something."
"Too bad," Lee said, shrugging. "Then I'll come to you," he finished, sliding forward smoothly and spinning around. His right arm drove into Xiaoyu's shoulder, and then his foot connected with the side of her face. As Xiaoyu yelled and stumbled to her right from the blow, Lee flicked his foot quickly to the other side of her head and tapped her in the opposite direction, sending her crashing towards the ground. As she hit the tiles, he placed his heel on the side of her temple and leaned in, crushing her head against the floor. "You're slow today, Ling," he observed coldly, twisting his heel sharply and eliciting a cry of pain from Xiaoyu.
"Lee Chaolan!" thundered Jinrei's voice from behind them. "You will remove your foot from my granddaughter's face and fight her honourably, or I will remove that foot for you!"
Lee clicked his tongue under his breath, lifting his foot away from Xiaoyu's head. "Your grandfather won't be there to save you next time," he muttered as he backed off.
Xiaoyu raised herself to her knees and glared at Lee through her bangs. "I don't need him to save me!" she yelled, her leg shooting upwards and slamming into Lee's crotch, sending him bowling over in pain with a high scream.
"Ling Xiaoyu! You will also fight with honour, or you will face me next!" Jinrei roared, losing patience with his two disobedient students.
They both stood up and faced each other warily, each obviously having trouble holding themselves up from the blows they had traded. "Let's end this," Lee muttered to Xiaoyu wearily.
Xiaoyu nodded and stepped forward, slamming her foot messily into Lee's stomach. He staggered back with a loud wheeze and doubled over. Xiaoyu moved towards him to lay a finishing blow on the silver-haired man, but as she raised her arms for the strike, her eyes widened. It wasn't a gasp of pain he was muttering, she realized as the pit of her stomach dropped out.
"Hwwaaaaaa…." Lee hissed, his arms vibrating with the energy he had built up. Xiaoyu caught a flash of his white smile as his fist lashed out, smashing into her side explosively. Another powerful left punch directly followed the right, and as they connected with her damaged ribs, Xiaoyu opened her mouth, unable to scream as the pain raced through her body. She fell to her knees, bowling over as tears sprung from her eyes, her hands clawing over her abdomen protectively.
No! she wanted to scream, but her throat wouldn't allow her make any other sound than a sickly gasp as her legs betrayed her. I won't let this happen! I promised Miharu, and Jin, I promised, and I've come so far and done so much and—
The bell rung, and dimly she was aware of Lee's presence drifting away from her amid the dull roar of the spectators. She closed her eyes, trying to shut out the sunlight and the sight of the garish crowd and toppled over, resting her forehead against the cool tiled floor of the poolside. It wasn't the pain that held her there, remaining motionless until Julia's gentle hands eased her off of the floor. It was an echo that thundered through her mind, deafening her ears, clouding her vision and splintering her world apart more thoroughly than any physical blow could ever do.
"Lee Chaolan wins!"