"...So be sure to arrive early, child - we leave on the dot, and anyone not present will be left behind."
"Uh, alright."
"Now, do you have any questions for me?"
I tilt my head a little, pondering. Heihachi leans back in the chair expectantly, and I finally settle on asking;
"What would the prize for winning the tournament be?" Hey, I'm curious, okay? He gives me a penetrating gaze, and I swallow hard. "Uh, that is, if you don't mind me asking, Mr. Mishima."
"If you could have anything in the world, what would it be, Miss Ling?"
"My own theme park." I say, half-jokingly. Heihachi smiles.
"Win the tournament, and it's yours."
My mouth drops open, and I start to shake my head, but he silences me by holding up a hand.
"I have to take your first answer, I'm afraid. If you win, that will be your prize, my dear. Now..." he eases himself out of the chair and brushes off his velvet coat. "Where in the world is that bad-tempered grandson of mine?"
I follow him out of the office, stuttering all the way that I can't possibly accept that and I was only joking, I didn't expect him to take me seriously, not that I'm rejecting his kind offer because after all, it would be impolite of me to do so, but still, I couldn't possibly...
I trail off into a stunned silence as Heihachi slides back a wooden door to reveal a spacious training room, decorated sparsely, one wall painted with a tiger mural, the opposite wall adorned with windows looking out onto the mountains and forested land below. And in the middle of the room stands Jin. No, wait, let me elaborate on that. He doesn't just stand there, he practically smoulders. He's wearing loose fitting trousers, one leg plain black, the other embroidered with flame. And that's all he's wearing, apart from a sheen of sweat, and a glower in my direction. I can't form words, and even though I'm aware that I'm shamelessly drinking him in, all dark eyes, messy spikes, and muscular torso, I'm damned if I can look away.
"Finished for today?" Heihachi's voice slices through the silence, and Jin doesn't reply. Unaffected, the old guy turns to me, placing a hand on my arm.
"Miss Ling, I understand that Mr. Jinrei is assisting you in your training?"
"T-that's right." I manage shakily, wetting my lips. I think I know where this is going, but being this close in proximity to Jin is making me turn into a stammering fool who can't speak up when required to.
"How would you feel about training with my grandson today?" he asks with a smile. "I feel that it would be beneficial to both of you to throw a little variety your way."
No. No no no no no nonononono...
Heihachi turns to his grandson with a questioning expression. "Jin?"
Panicked, I look to him for support, but no, things can't go my way just this once, can they? Jin has a challenging glint in his eyes as he steps forward, inclining his head slightly in a nod. His lips curve into a smile as I stare at him in despair. For a moment, the memory of those lips on my neck flashes through my head, featherlight kisses trailing to my shoulder and then back to my mouth, fingertips on my skin.
Seconds slip by, and I just stand there, frozen, trying to breathe, heat rushing through my body; but Heihachi's loud clap rouses me and I blink, turning to him as he gives a chuckle.
"Good, good. Well then, when you're ready."
Jin slides easily into a fighting stance, gazing at me through the dark strands that never spike up like the rest of his hair. I can feel waves of anticipation running through me, tightening my stomach with excitement, and I slowly run the tip of my tongue of my bottom lip. He's watching my every move, and I sink into my own stance, desperately clinging to the memory of training with Grandfather to avoid being distracted by the fact that I only need to move slightly forward and I could be touching Jin's bare skin.
We gaze at each other as time ticks by, each trying to anticipate what the other will do first, and although what I really want to do is surrender to the emotions raging inside me, instead I opt for dropping into the Phoenix stance, just as Jin's foot slashes the air above my head. Immediately, I roll to the side, avoiding a low kick from him, and climb to my feet, grabbing his arm and flipping him over then cartwheeling out of the way as he counter attacks. Jin quickly recovers, catching me unawares with a fist to the stomach, and I double over from both pain and shock, breath quickening as I try to regain the air he knocked out of me. This leaves me vulnerable, though, and he's attacking again, this time with a roundhouse kick that almost connects with the side of my face.
Luckily, I manage to block it in the nick of time, and leap up to perform a roundhouse of my own. Mine doesn't connect either, and when I land, I hurriedly raise my arm to block any counter moves thrown my way. Instead, I feel Jin's fingers wrap around my wrist, and he flips me, slamming me into the ground, knocking the breath out of me once again. I try to struggle to my feet, disorientated, and he slams into me, both of us falling to the floorboards again, and Jin's body covering mine. His hand pins my right wrist to the floor and arousal pulses through me unbidden as I look through half lidded eyes at him, trying desperately to rid myself of these feelings and focus on the situation. His eyes flicker with desire, and I feel the smallest triumph at that - the idea that I can make him feel even a fraction of what he's making me feel makes me happy. He lowers his mouth to my ear, and I shiver as his breath tickles my skin.
"I have you in quite the predicament, Xiaoyu." he murmurs smoothly as I struggle underneath him, trying to break free. I place my free palm on his chest and heat courses through me at the feel of his skin against mine. Wriggling to try and free myself from his grip - and well aware that Heihachi is still in the room - my knee brushes against his crotch, and I barely suppress a squeak of surprise. Do I really need to tell you why? Far from being embarrassed, as I would have been if I were him, he only offers me a wicked smile, grip on me tightening so as to keep me still. He's pinned me to a draw.
"Fantastic." Heihachi booms as Jin stands up, absently offering his hand. It reminds me a lot of the first time we met, except my face doesn't hurt as much. The old man is folding his arms, nodding appreciatively.
"Your speed is definitely your best asset, Xiaoyu." he continues. "Good adaptation, both of you."
All I can do is nod - I'm scared that if I open my mouth, no sound will come out - but luckily I'm spared from any questions by the loud ringing of Heihachi's phone. He sighs, excusing himself and telling us he'd be back shortly, then sliding the door shut behind him. I can feel Jin's eyes on me, and I turn to him, opening my mouth to make some lame comment , and perhaps to embarrass myself by babbling on at him, but I don't get a chance. He grabs my hand, one arm curling around my waist to pull me closer, and my breath catches in my throat as he begins to close the gap between our mouths.
"Nuh-no..." I gasp, pressing both hands against his chest and twisting out of his grip. Breathless, heart pounding, I step backwards to create distance between us and turn away from him in an attempt to stop myself from losing my resolve.
"This isn't how it was supposed to go!" I squeak. "I was supposed to be finding out why you keep trying to push me away and maybe throwing a few insults at you while I was at it!" I grasp at my hair, grimacing, trying to calm myself down. "I wasn't supposed to end up here! You weren't supposed to be - " I trail off, shifting nervously from foot to foot, breath coming in gasps as I hear his soft footsteps getting closer. Jin's arms wrap around my middle from behind, and I can feel him pressed against me.
"Jin, p-please..." I moan, struggling out of his grip again. "Your grandfather..."
"Shut up." he breathes, advancing on me again, and there's nowhere I can go. My back's against the wall. Literally. I make one last, lame attempt to escape him, ducking under his arm, but he grabs me, pressing me against the wall again and capturing my lips with his. His kiss is fierce, urgent, and I can't help but give in to him as he snakes an arm around my waist to hold me closer, the other hand running down my body.
My hands are clutching his shoulders for support as his tongue slides between my lips, finding my own as his fingers slip through my hair. Shifting slightly, my thigh presses against his arousal and he gives a soft groan, deepening the kiss, free hand ever so slowly tracing a path back up from my hip. I feel the gentle scrape of his teeth on my lower lip as his hand goes higher, from my stomach up to my ribcage, then finally coming to rest on my breast. I pull back instinctively and his eyes lock with mine, daring me to look away first. His hand begins a gentle caress, and my lips are swollen and trembling as I open my mouth, trying to find words, to tell him I can't do this, that no one's ever made me feel so powerless, that this isn't supposed to be happening, but my vocal cords won't co-operate, and all that comes out is a quiet whimper.
Jin buries his face in my neck, and I hear him breathe my name. For a few seconds we stay like that, the only sound that of a curtain gently rustling in the breeze from the half-open window on the far side of the room. I let go of him, meaning to step away from both Jin and the situation, but his grip on me tightens.
"J-Jin, your grandfather's gonna be back soon." I say shakily, and he raises his head to look at me.
"Xiao...just let me..." he trails off, reclaiming my lips and giving me another urgent kiss. "Just let me have this moment..."