DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything having to do with the Tekken series.

Chapter 8 – The Definition of Exacerbation

A few weeks later, Hwoarang got a random call from Xiaoyu. She asked him to pick her up from school early. She was waiting outside for him when he pulled up. He noticed she looked ill as she came down the stairs.

"You okay, Ling?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to leave."

"Do you want me to take you home?" he started his motorcycle.

She shook her head.

"You look sick though-"

"I'm fine. Just drive."

As soon as he opened the door to his apartment, she made a B-line for the bathroom.

"Are you sure you don't need to see a doctor?" he helped her to her feet.

She shoved him off "I'm fine!"

"You're a bad liar, you know that?"

Xiaoyu dropped to her knees and punched the floor "I wish I never came to damn country!" She started crying and whispered "How could he just leave me like this? What do I tell my family now?"

He knelt next to her, placing his hand on her back "Wait, wait, wait, what are you talking about?"

She shook her head "The bastard…"

Xiaoyu woke up a few hours later. She yawned, crawling off his bed "Hwoarang?" He was nowhere in sight so she walked into the main room. He was scrunched up on a broken futon. She nudged him a few times before he rolled over.

"Yeah?"

"Sorry I wasn't being nice to you earlier." She sat on the floor beside him.

"Ready to talk about it?" he stretched out on the futon; his legs dangled onto the floor.

"What do I tell them? That I'm going to give birth to a bastard child? That I can't find his dad? What would they say?" she cried uncontrollably.

'Bastard child??' He hugged her.

"Grandpa will probably send me back to China despite the fact my parents are always on the go because of their 'business' And my baby will get taken from me-"

He sat up quickly holding her by her forearms, "I'm not gonna let that happen, okay? We'll tell him together."

"We?" she sniffled.

"Yeah, we'll just say I'm the father. I mean, I know I don't look like much of a dad, but a crappy dad is better than no dad." He tried to lighten the mood a little.

"This is no time to joke."

"I'm not, I swear." He took her hand into his "He's not here to accept responsibility for your baby, but I am."

She was almost speechless, no one had ever shown her so much commitment, though her gut feeling told her that his plan wasn't going to work "You don't even know me very well."

"I can, you don't have to be home for a while. So just tell me everything about you. This'll work. I promise." He encouragingly smiled and held out his pinkie to her.

She smiled through her despair, "Maybe you do know me okay." And locked their pinkies together.

It was fifteen minutes after two a.m., her grandpa was waiting for her at the front door. He stood as still as a statue.

She got off Hwoarang's motorcycle "I'm in trouble. You'd better leave."

Her grandpa crossed his arms "I think not."

Hwoarang took the key out of his bike and quietly said "I obviously wasn't ready for this conversation."

Xiaoyu looked at him with hurt eyes.

"No, no," he tugged on his clothes "I mean I'm not really dressed for this kind of thing."

"…Oh…" she sighed.

"Don't worry." He wrapped his arm around Xiaoyu and they followed Wang in the house.

He turned to them. Xiaoyu knocked Hwoarang's arm off her. "Xiaoyu. I'll let you go first."

She took a deep breath and bowed her head "I ... I don't know what to say."

"Okay then. I'll tell you what I see. I see that my precious little grandchild has been associating with a street rat the whole time I thought she was depressed that the only friend she had in this country up and disappeared. I didn't think in two of my lifetimes that you'd ever lie to me… I just don't know what to do with you anymore, Xiaoyu. I should just send you back to your parents."

"Grandpa, please! Just let us explain!" She tugged Hwoarang's hand.

"It's your turn to speak, hoodlum." He grumbled.

Hwoarang glared, this would be the first time, as a young adult, that someone had gotten away with insulting him. He gripped Xiaoyu's hand "Xiaoyu and I are in love."

That statement seemed to infuriate Wang. "Boy,-"

Xiaoyu took a step forward "We got irresponsible. And something unexpected has come up…"

"And we understand in full what we're in for; we spent all day discussing what has to be done."

Wang shook his head "First and foremost, Xiaoyu is only sixteen. I am her grandfather and I decide what is best for her."

"Please, grandpa." Xiaoyu started crying.

He wrapped his arms around her and whispered, "Shh, I told you I'd see us through this. I need you to be strong for me, okay?"

After hearing him, Wang's expression softened a bit "You really mean well, boy?"

He nodded "Yes, sir. I'll do whatever it takes to be there and provide for this child. Like my parents should have done for me."

Xiaoyu's grandpa drew a heavy sigh, not speaking for several minutes "This is a lot for an old man like me to take in. I'll have to sleep on it…" he walked away.

"Grandpa?" she called after him.

"He can sleep on the couch tonight." He grumbled.

The two exhaled sighs of relief "He should be in a better mood tomorrow." Xiaoyu reassured him.

"Let's hope so." They walked into the TV room and he sat on the couch.

Xiaoyu sat down beside him "Thank you so much. If it weren't for you, my grandpa would have stuck me on a plane right then."

"Don't thank me. I'm not doing you a favor or anything. It's not like as soon as you turn eighteen I'm going to disappear on ya."

She leaned her head against his shoulder and nodded slowly "That's really not fair to you, you know. I thought you didn't want to get a job and all that?"

"I told your grandfather that I'll provide for your baby anyway I can. Nothing else matters." He leaned his head against hers.

"Hmm." Xiaoyu smiled, drifting to sleep "So what are we going to name him?"

"How do you know it's a 'he' already?"

"Instinct."

That's the end of the chapter! Yay! I know Wang seems REALLY mean and all, but he does soften up a bit.