Chapter 20: Running Out of Time

"Miharu…" I whimper, sitting down across from her at a table in the common room. "How did it get to Friday so quickly?"

She closes the magazine she's reading and grins at me, putting it down on the chair next to her.

"Well, you see, Monday happened, then Tuesday, then Wednesday, then – "

I roll my eyes as she talks, cutting her off mid-sentence.

"There's only three days left. It's not enough time."

"Xiao, we've been over this already. You'll do great."

"I won't." I say miserably. "I need more time. Another week should do. Do you think they'll postpone it for me?"

Hwoarang, who Miharu sent on the snack run, comes back and grabs a chair, throwing the vending machine plunder onto the table. Mi's chocolate bar skitters off the edge of the desk and she ducks down to grab it.

"Are you whining about the tournament again?" he asks, with a long-suffering sigh, opening a bag of crisps.

"I'm not ready."

"Yeah, you are. I'm sure Wang would have let you know if he didn't think you were capable."

"Hmm." I stare at the tabletop as Miharu straightens up, ripping open her chocolate.

"Hwo's right." She says, offering me the bar. I break off a bit, smiling thankfully.

"Besides, we made a deal, remember?" Hwoarang reminds me with a grin. "You're not getting out of it."

He's right, of course. We made a promise that we'd do our best, better than anyone else in the tournament. I can't let my nerves get the better of me. If I do, it'll be like a self-fulfilling prophecy. But still, it's the waiting, the not knowing, that's driving me crazy. I pop the square of chocolate in my mouth and force myself to smile.

"I know. I just wish I knew what we're up against."

"Who cares?" Hwo smirks. "Whoever we're up against'll get their ass kicked."

I have to smile at his confidence. I wish I had as strong a faith in my abilities as Hwoarang does.

"Anyway, if you're that worried, why don't you ask loverboy?" He asks. "His granddad's the one organising the thing."

"…I suppose I could." Strange, that thought never even occurred to me until Hwo brought it up. But then again, when I'm with Jin, I'm not exactly capable of rational thought. My inner monologue usually consists of 'I hate that damned smirk. But if he kisses me, I'll forgive him'

"Are you meeting Jin today?" Miharu asks.

"Well, I'm going to his place later." I reply. "I hope Heihachi isn't around, though."

"Why's that?" She grins wickedly. "After a repeat performance of last time?"

I choose not to dignify that remark with a response. I shouldn't have mentioned anything to her in the first place.

"I'm gonna have a cig." Hwoarang says suddenly, standing up. He rummages in his pocket for a lighter, and then produces a crumpled packet of cigarettes, flipping them open. There's two left. "Damn, I'm gonna have to start rolling my own or something."

"Yeah, or you could, y'know, quit." Miharu retorts, annoyed. He ignores her.

I'm in Jin's house. I've been here before, but that was only to see Heihachi. I've never been here to see Jin himself. And the last time I was here, I wasn't his girlfriend.

It's weird, thinking of myself as a girlfriend. It's more weird thinking of Jin as a boyfriend. He doesn't seem the boyfriend type, really. I don't know what the boyfriend type is, but whatever it is, Jin's not it. I'm following him through the corridors of the Mishima mansion, and not for the first time since we set off, I wonder where he's taking me. Are we going into a games room? A training room? His bedroom? I blush at the thought, in spite of myself. Wonder what his bedroom's like? Satin sheets and expensive art? I roll my eyes. Shut up, Xiao. He's a normal teenager with a normal bedroom. He's not some Don Juan type who's brought me here with the sole purpose of sweeping me into his arms and making love to me on the black silken sheets of his king-sized bed.

…And again, I cannot believe I just thought that.

Jin stops in front of a sliding screen and turns to me.

"You're unusually quiet, today." He observes, and I smile nervously.

"Just worried." I tell him, and a look of… annoyance maybe? – flashes across his features.

"I'm not gonna strangle you or anything, if that's what you think." He mutters, and I shake my head, trying not to smile at the petulant expression on his face. Who would have imagined cool, calm, collected Jin Kazama pouting like a five-year-old?

"No, not about coming here!" I tell him with a grin. "Just about the tournament in general."

"Hm."

He puts a hand on the door, glancing at me, and I interpret this as him wanting me to elaborate.

"It's just – I like to know what type of fight I'll be looking at."

Jin slides the door open, walking into the room.

"You'll find out on Monday." He tells me as I follow him, closing the door behind me. It's not his bedroom, I note with both a hint of relief and disappointment – the reason for the latter being that I'm curious, now that I think about it. It's a lounge, with a zigzag wooden floor, huge windows overlooking the gardens and cushions scattered all over the place. Heavy velvet curtains, like the ones in Heihachi's study where he interviewed me, frame the glass, and I can see dark clouds gathering outside. It's started to rain, and somehow, the raindrops pattering against the window makes the room feel just that bit cosier.

"Nice." I say with a smile. "This room's bigger than our kitchen and lounge put together."

Jin doesn't say anything, and I sit down on one of the cushions, slipping my backpack off my shoulders.

"Do you know any of the other fighters' styles?" I ask innocently, and Jin shakes his head.

"I don't know any more than you do, Xiaoyu."

Now it's my turn to pout. I unzip my bag, pulling out my maths textbook and worksheets, spreading them out on the floor. Now, pen. Where did I put it?

"Xiao?"

I look up, and Jin's staring at me as though I need committing.

"Yeah?"

"What is that?'

"It's a piece of paper and a book, Jin." I deadpan, and he ignores me.

"I can't believe you brought your homework with you."

"It needs doing." I say defensively, rummaging in the bottom of my bag for the elusive pen. "This might be the last chance I get before all my knowledge of equations is knocked out of my head."

"You're forgetting the weekend."

"Nope. The weekend doesn't count. Weekends aren't meant for doing homework."

"And now's the perfect time, obviously." He says, voice dripping with sarcasm.

I grab the biro out of one of the zip pockets of my bag and scan the worksheet, pretending I didn't hear that comment. Focus on the equations, Xiao. He walks forward and stands over me, glaring as I smile innocently at him.

"Put the pen down." He orders.

"Nope."

"Xiaoyu, do what I said." Why does that bossy tone turn me on? And why am I even thinking such things?

"…Make me." I say slyly, and Jin moves to grab the pen out of my hands. I snatch it away, standing up waving it over my head as he advances on me.

"Come and get it, if you can!" I crow, and scuttle away as soon as he's within grabbing distance, turning my head as I retreat to check his reaction. He's smiling, and it isn't one of his usual faint smiles, it's a proper, happy looking smile that reaches his eyes. He looks like he's about to burst out laughing, and it makes me happy to see that. Then he starts after me, and I squeal like a little girl, trying to put a safe distance between us, but only succeeding in tripping over a discarded pillow and falling backwards onto my butt. Jin laughs, kneeling down beside me to check I'm alright – or at least, makes out he is. Actually, he takes my moment of weakness to try and pry the pen from my fingers.

"Give it."

"No way!" I pull my hand away, somehow still holding onto the pen, and spring to my feet, ready to make a run for it – but Jin tackles me as I try to take off, and we both fall in an undignified heap onto the cushion I was sitting on not two minutes ago. I'm face down, Jin above me, and he props himself up on his arms as I turn over onto my back underneath him. Our laughter slowly fades, replaced by the sound of rain drumming against the glass, and Jin's smile dissolves.

"We're here again." He says quietly. And he's right. This is the second time we've been in such a compromising position, and I wonder fleetingly if he planned this, before deciding that I couldn't care less. He's staring down at me intensely, and desire flashes between us, so strong I can almost taste it. I gaze back at him, parting my lips ever so slightly in silent invitation, and he lowers his mouth to mine, kissing me gently. My arms come up to wrap around his neck as I kiss him back, hardly able to believe I've got myself into this position again, or that just a kiss from Jin can get this type of reaction from my body. I'm trembling, and I hope to God that he hasn't noticed.

He pulls away to look at me, and a slow smile makes it's way onto his face. Heat rises to my face as I realise his hand is on my thigh, slowly, gently inching higher. I close my eyes, pulling him back to me for another dizzying kiss. Somewhere in the back of my mind, a voice protests that I'm not ready for what this seems to be turning into, but I push that thought aside, instead focusing on the feeling of Jin's mouth on mine, and his hands on me…

And then someone knocks loudly on the wall outside, the harsh, hollow sound shattering the moment.

A high, slightly panicky sounding female voice asks "Master Kazama? Master Kazama?"

Jin groans in frustration, breathing unsteadily.

"Yeah?"

"Mr Mishima wishes to speak with you."

And his expression changes, suddenly becoming impassive, unreadable.

"I'll be right there."