I don't take the limo on the way back, either. Instead, I decide to visit grandfather; today he's at the shrine, just a little way away from the Mishima buildings. I remember when I first saw him pouring sake over the sacred stone, I asked him why he'd wasted a whole bottle on some old rock, and he just laughed at my naivety. That was also when I first saw him practicing Hakke-Ken.
My irritation at Jin, and at myself, (for embarrassing myself around him as usual), melts away as the shrine comes into view, and I break out into a run, ignoring the ache in my legs and back, just wanting to tell grandfather how I'd fought the Tekken Force, and how great it felt to be getting my flair back again. By the time I reach the shrine, he's walking down the steps to greet me, a bewildered smile on his face.
"Well well, Xiaoyu. What a nice surprise. Actually, I was hoping to see you today."
"You were?" I ask, blinking. "For training?"
"Not today. No, I just wanted to ask you whether you'd be willing to take Panda for a while?"
"Fine by me!" I grin. I've missed Panda since Grandfather took her in. Oh, I'd better explain, hadn't I? Panda is my pet. I found her on my way to an amusement park; it looked like she'd been abandoned. Of course, she was only a cub then, now she's bigger than me. Most people keep cats and dogs, but I guess I'm not most people, hm? Anyway, Grandfather said he'd take care of her, but I'm always visiting.
"So then, what is the rush, Xiaoyu?" Grandfather asks, studying my dishevelled appearance disapprovingly.
"I got in a fight!" I tell him with a smile. "Tekken Force started attacking me, so I fought back." He nods. "Grandfather, it felt great. I just wanted to thank you for helping me train!"
"Not a problem." He's smiling. "Do you want to take Panda now?"
I nod, and Grandfather turns, gesturing to me to follow.
"Xiao!"
I turn and wave at Miharu as she makes her way towards me, hair bobbing as she walks.
"How do you think you did on the English test?"
I groan.
"Don't remind me. Probably terrible..."
"Me too!" Miharu cries. "I didn't get those stupid questions at all! What the hell do I know about 'emotive language'?"
"It was on the notes she gave us." I sigh. "I didn't remember much of it though."
"Great. If I don't pass this test, she's gonna be on the warpath, as per frickin' usual!"
"Want some chocolate?" I ask, offering the bar. "Made me feel better."
Miharu breaks off a square, giving a little scream of frustration.
"Why are there never any questions I can answer on tests?" she mutters, biting into the chocolate with a growl.
I sit across from her, throwing my backpack down and stretching, and Miharu watches me, chewing thoughtfully.
"What?" She's got that look on her face again.
"I haven't seen Jin today...." she starts, grinning mischievously. I roll my eyes, brushing my fringe out of my face.
"Mi..." I say warningly.
"Aww c'mon, you know you like him, Xiao. You kissed him, remember?"
"No, he kissed me. There was no me kissing him. I didn't want to kiss him! I-I didn't do anything!" I protest oh-so-convincingly.
"Xiao's got a boyfriend!" Miharu crows. I flush red with embarrassment and turn away from her with a 'hmph', but she just gets up and sits next to me, elbowing me in the ribs.
"So...? Was he a good kisser?" she asks with a maddening grin.
"Mi!" I whine. "Leave me alone, okay?"
Stupid Hwoarang. If he'd not have said anything, I wouldn't be in this situation.
Five minutes later as we walk through the courtyard, she's still bugging me.
"So how come you kissed him?"
I give an exasperated cry. "For the last time, I didn't kiss him! He kissed me!"
"Sure, sure!"
"It's true!"
"Uh-huh. Come on, Xiao, admit it. You liked it, didn't you?"
"No!" I explode, hitting her on the arm. "Shut up!"
But I can't stop the smile making its way onto my lips. Mi gives me an I-told-you-so look.
"Well...it wasn't so bad, I guess..." I confess, bracing myself for twenty questions ranging from if he tried to cop a feel to whether we used tongues.
But Miharu has suddenly gone quiet. I turn to look at her, perplexed, and my face goes bright red. Again. Jin is standing there, smirk coming as standard. I swear that boy has a 'Xiao's doing/saying something potentially humiliating' radar.
"Glad to hear it was good for you too." he drawls with a leer in my direction. I stumble backwards, trying to widen the distance between us, but Jin closes the gap with one stride, cupping my chin. I stare up at him with confused eyes as Miharu waves, giggling that she thinks she'd better leave us alone.
"What's up?" he asks. "You've gone quiet."
"I...um..."
I can't speak. I hate the effect he has on me, but trying to resist it is no use. I'm lost in his eyes, and I freeze as he lowers his lips to my ear, one hand travelling down my side to the curve of my hip and resting there.
"I just wanted you to know..." he whispers, his breath tickling my ear and sending little tingles through my body. "What I said the other day...I meant it. I only kissed you so you'd shut up." His lips brush my earlobe gently, and then he withdraws, backing away from me a step. He smiles softly, brushing his fingers through my hair, then letting his hand drop to his side once more.
"I could never be with someone like you. Not really."
I stare at him, mouth half open, eyes burning. He's the only one who's managed to make me feel like this in a long time. Jin just built up my hopes, built up my fantasies, and then scattered them like the dust from the ground of the courtyard that blows across my path as he leaves me behind.