Chapter Fourteen: You're Invited!
Author's Note: Hey everyone…I'm going to apologize in advance if I make any glaring errors…this is my first chapter done on my laptop so if I mess up a word or two…I'm just not used to the keys yet LOL! Well, here's another chapter…I'm not quite sure exactly what's going to happen yet so…yeah…but first I'll do some shout outs!
Karisan: Hey! What's up? I love your story and I'm glad you can forgive me for Grey's…uh…situation…anyway, I hope that you like this chapter too!
Thundertxw: Hi! Glad that you enjoy my story…and yeah, I know that there are some screw ups and stuff but…y'know…I try my best! I like your stories too! And yes, Christie's one of my fave characters!
Astral Slayer Asuka: Hey…okay, I'm glad that you like this story and I'm glad that I haven't lost any readers! Thanks for being so understanding and stuff…hope you enjoy this chapter too!
Thee Slushee: Hi! Glad that you like this story and I love yours…I loved Xiao's memories and stuff that was really cool…makes me wanna go buy a panda…how much do they cost again? LOL!
DevilBilly: Hey…what up playa? Can't wait to read your latest chappie! Oh! And is your Blaze move Pop Your Collar? That's actually my fave move…in fact, it's such a favorite that it's going to be the name of one of Mina's moves!
Shadowsin: Hey computer trouble is a bitch and I hope that another chapter comes out pretty soon! All I can do is wish you some good luck and hope that your trouble fixes itself…OH! You can go to Best Buy…a friend of mine works with the Geek Squad (no joke…it's an actual company) and they help fix computers…or y'know…maybe a friend can help you out?
JunKing: Hey, I'm glad that you like my characters so much…except for Grey…but he's kinda cantankerous for a reason y'know?
Okay, I like Grey and all, but I'm ready to divert my attention a little bit! On with the story!
"Okay…open your mouth and say 'aaaaahhh'." Julia Chang instructed.
It was early afternoon the day after Jamie and Kyo's escapade in Doctor Abel's house. Jamie had just woken up about thirty minutes ago.
The matches for the day had been going on since eight this morning…everyone was off to the various arenas to face their destinies…for some, this meant a farewell to their dreams…farewell to their hopes and grudges…only to be rekindled next year…
Well, if they were invited that is…
Jamie wasn't fighting today…and he was taking full advantage of it. After the incident at Dr. Abel's, Jamie had passed out…when he awoke, he was greeted by Mina and Xiao…they jokingly told him that "Dr. Julia" would see him now…
So here he was, in the girl's room…sitting on the edge of Julia's bed, while the Native American Genius investigated the inner workings of his mouth with a tongue depressor.
"Aaaaaahhhh." Jamie said obediently, sticking his tongue out.
"Hm…" Julia began. "I'm noticing a swelling on the inner lining of the tracheal cavity…also, there appears to be abrasions located on the bronchial tendon of the-"
"Uh Jules?" Hwoarang asked, leaning against the wall.
"What is it Hwoarang?" She asked, a twinge of annoyance apparent in her tone.
"Can you explain in English…you've lost everyone in the room."
Through the depressor, Jamie began to gag.
"Oh…" Julia said in an astonished voice. "Sorry Jamie!"
She quickly pulled the depressor out of his mouth and Jamie continued to gag a bit.
"It means that he has a sore throat…didn't you pay attention in basic Physiology?" Jin asked contempously.
"Obviously not Kazama!" Hwoarang shot back.
"Guys!" Xiao began, quelling he argument as always. "Not really helping."
"It feels like I swallowed gasoline…" Jamie said hoarsely.
"That's what your throat looked like last night too…good news is, with your immune system and unique genome, you've done two weeks worth of healing in one night. You'll only get better throughout the day. By tomorrow you should be fine."
"Isn't that great Jamie?" Mina asked enthusiastically.
"Yeah…but those dreams…and visions…do you know what those were about?" Jamie croaked.
"We got the disk, and I began to look into it. That first password was easy enough to crack…but the Zaibatsu knows how to secure their disks…don't worry, I'll get it all sorted out, but it'll take a little while." Julia said with a proud smile.
"But what concerns me the most is that file that Kyo found," Jin began stepping forward.
"The one from the third Tournament?" Hwoarang asked.
"Yeah," Xiao began. "It freaks me that we were possible candidates…of what though?"
"Heihachi was successful in raising Ogre and killing a Nephilim…what else did he hope to accomplish?" Jin asked, thinking aloud.
"Wait…" Mina began. "Was that one Nephilim…Patrick right? Was he a candidate?"
"No…he wasn't…I haven't really had a chance to look into it, but from what I have seen…well…I think the past is going to come back and haunt us." Julia said, mulling the prospect over.
"Why can't we ever have a conversation that doesn't end with those fucking words!" Hwoarang whined.
"I always ask myself that same question…" Jamie murmured. "Anyway…I can't stay around here all day…I guess I'll get changed and…I don't know…train or something." He stood and stretched...wondering what to do with the rest of the day.
"Asuka's waiting for me downstairs…I wanted to spar with her for a bit today…it'd be nice to last a little while in the tournament y'know?" Mina asked nervously.
"That's cool…I'm going to head down to the hospital and analyze the slides I made of the bacteria in your throat Jamie." Julia said happily.
"Uh…knock yourself out…my body fluids are meant to be enjoyed by all!" He said with a grin…everyone looked at him strangely, and that's when he realized how odd it actually sounded. "…wait…that didn't come out right…hehe…" He finished with a nervous chuckle.
"Hey, where's your partner in crime?" Xiao asked with a grin towards Jamie.
"Kyo's match is in an hour…if you want to come watch?" Jin asked.
"Sure," Jamie shrugged. "It'll be a nice change of pace."
Last tournament, on the days he had off, he had spent them training, strategizing, or sleeping…he never really watched the other fights…not because he was a bad friend or anything, but because with Devil lurking around, there was always something that had to, or could be done to attempt to stop him.
Everyone went their separate ways…Jamie had walked back to his room to shower and change. When he emerged twenty minutes later, he was wearing a pair of slightly baggy, "painters" jeans and a grey t-shirt. The t-shirt had an elderly grandma and grandpa on it, they were looking through binoculars and pointing at something…the caption read:
"Neighborhood watch….we're gonna get you sucka's!"
He also wore a brown leather bracelet on his right arm, and his signature red hair tie on his left wrist. Quickly, he glanced at himself in the mirror.
Not too bad Jamie…not bad at all…nice to know that you can pull yourself together after a ingesting a lethal dose of mustard gas…
With that said, he walked out of the door and down the stairs where Jin and Hwoarang waited. As he walked out of the lobby, he said good-bye to Asuka and Mina, both decked out in their work out gear…
"You be careful lil' sista," Hwoarang called (he'd had a penchant lately, for calling Mina that for two reasons…one because they were both Korean, and two because of the streaks in her hair). "She's got a lot of rage!"
"Bite me Hwoarang!" Asuka called back contemptuously.
"And risk gum disease? No thanks!" Hwoarang answered.
"OH THAT'S IT!" Asuka began, stomping her foot in anger.
"Asuka…Asuka c'mon…we need to train remember!" Mina began, holding her back.
"Let her go Mina…I really would like to see that fight." Jin said with a grin.
"Save it for the tourney you guys…anyway, we're late right? When's Jeeves gonna bring the car around?" Jamie asked jokingly.
It worked…as it broke the tension, and Mina wisely pulled Asuka away before she and Hwoarang could do any more damage. As Mina and Asuka began to walk towards the main gym, Mina turned and glanced at Jamie.
"Thanks." She mouthed.
He winked at her…and once again, as lame as it sounded…her heart skipped a beat.
God you're such a lame-o…get it together girl!
She thought with a smile.
New Scene…
After an intense training session with Asuka, Mina suggested that they go to the pool…Asuka was happy to oblige.
The Mishima Hotel's pool was an indoor one…it was Olympic sized with a Jacuzzi off to the side…the pool was tiled in a beautiful mosaic at the bottom…the whole area was meant to look like a Greek temple…complete with columns and sparkling white tiles on the floor.
Tables and chairs flanked the area around the pool…the whole area was enclosed with clear glass…with several doors leading to tanning beds, an outside deck, and locker rooms. The area was deserted because it was so early in the afternoon, and the other competitors were off training or fighting.
"I hate Hwoarang…" Asuka muttered angrily as she draped a towel on a chair, and walked towards the water's edge.
"I wouldn't let it bother you so much…" Mina said.
Asuka had changed into a simple, one piece, blue suit. Mina wondered briefly if Asuka would think that she was a slut because the young Korean fighter was wearing a form fitting black bikini.
Mina loved bathing suits; she owned a bunch of them. Her favorite one was a red and white, floral printed bikini…she had brought it with her, but decided not to wear it. It was Jamie's favorite…and she wasn't going to wear it if he wasn't around.
She took off her sarong and laid it carefully against the chair next to Asuka's. Carefully, she stepped into the pool with Asuka. It felt cool and refreshing…especially after such an intense work out.
Mina had appreciated Asuka's offer to train with her…especially because she figured she'd needed it! Mina always thought she was a pretty decent fighter…she may not have been a Nephilim, but she certainly could take care of herself against vampires and other demons!
Still…Asuka had done a great job in humbling her.
"I know…but it just pisses me off y'know?" Asuka grumbled.
She went under the water, came up, and smoothed her wet hair away from her face.
"Hwoarang jokes around with everybody…I take it as a sign of friendship." Mina offered wisely.
She was up to her shoulders in the chlorinated water now…but she hadn't gotten used to it enough to were she dared to go underwater.
"I know…it's just…it's just that when I used to be in school I got picked on a lot and…" Asuka trailed off.
"Well, have you tried telling him? I'm sure he'll stop." Mina asked.
Finally, she went underwater and came up…the cold water shook the fatigue out of her almost immediately.
"That's why I train all the time…I got so sick of getting picked on that I just…dealt with it…y'know?" Asuka asked. "The more I train and the more I intimidate people the more people leave me alone!"
Mina was shocked…and her heart went out for her friend. True, Mina had never really been picked on before, but she was always nice to everyone and often times, stood up for the girls who had been frequently antagonized.
She didn't understand why people would pick on Asuka…she was very pretty, and thanks to her martial arts training, she'd built herself a very nice figure. However, when it got right down to it, Asuka was shy…and didn't talk much…maybe that tended to scare people away.
"Well, I'm your friend and I think your pretty cool…in fact, if you want…and I mean, I certainly am in no position to offer this, but, hey one day me, you, and the other girls will totally go out shopping! We'll get you a make over and we'll read Cosmo and…it'll be so much fun!" Mina offered with a smile.
"I don't know," Asuka said, beginning to weaken. "It sounds a little too girly for my tastes."
"Uh…Asuka…you are a girl! And by the way, what's up with you and one of my best friends?" Mina asked with a grin.
"Oh…Robbie…well…uh…" Asuka began, her face starting to redden.
Suddenly, the door opened and someone else began to walk into the pool area. Mina and Asuka turned to see Grey walk in.
He wore a black pair of swim trunks that had a snarling, coiled dragon snaking intricately around the fabric. His hair wasn't done in gel or glue today…it was all brushed to one side, covering his right eye…the back of his hair stuck garishly out behind his neck in tufts.
His bare, incredibly toned chest gleamed in the afternoon sun, and his shorts were hung somewhat low, revealing the various "muscle cuts" along his lower mid riff. He wore a necklace…one that Mina had seen him wear a lot…it clashed dramatically with the outfits that he wore.
It was black, and meant for girl's to wear…in cheap, pewter, metallic blocks, the name "Sarah" was etched…one letter for each block. Mina wondered briefly why he wore it…but soon, her curiosity was overridden by fear and worry for what he might be planning to do.
"Hello ladies." He said with a grin.
Well hi Grey… Mina thought sarcastically.
She didn't know what he was planning, and Mina wasn't quite sure she wanted too either…
"Get lost asshole!" Asuka retorted.
"Go lick carpet!" Grey shot back in hostility.
"What do you want?" Mina asked.
She wasn't exactly sure what she was doing, but she found herself slowly getting out of the pool and walking towards him.
"Relax…if I wanted to do what you thought I wanted too, then you could tell by being dead already." Grey said with that eerily cheerful manner and tone.
"Okay…so make it quick. Tell me what you want and get out." Mina said with her arms folded.
"Just wanted to let you guys know that your friends won their fights today…oh, and I wanted to invite you to-"
"We're not interested." Asuka interrupted flatly.
"Oh," Grey began, a look of utter disappointment on his face. "But your uncle will be so disappointed."
"To what? I'm starting to get angry." Mina said.
"A pool party, at Lee's mansion this Saturday…" Grey said with a smile. "Hope to see you there…" He threw the invitations on the chairs that the girls had flung their possessions on. "But I gotta go though…I've got more of these invitations to pass out…peace out!"
Mina and Asuka watched him walk off before glancing down.
"All this trouble for a pool party?" Asuka asked, reading the letter.
"Something about this bothers me…let's go…we need to see who else got these!" Mina said with resolve.
Quickly, she tied her floral printed sarong around her waste, and put her flip flops on…Asuka followed her…and off they went to find the others.
Author's Note: Wuh oh…why is it that whenever I write a Mina chapter they tend to be so long? Oh well, I felt kind of bad that I tend to neglect Asuka so much so I hope that this chapter started to make up for it…next chapter, will feature some serious action and stuff! And believe me…you won't believe the lengths Grey will go to so he can make sure that everyone comes to Lee's party…all will be discovered next chappie! Hope you enjoyed this one!