Chapter X: Endings And Beginnings
A/N: This is it, people! It all ends here! And I still don't own Tekken.
He had been silenced, neutralised, blasted into oblivion, so then why was he still able to feel so much agonising pain? He wished to heaven that it could lift, as the dense darkness that engulfed his vision gave way to a filmy mistiness, and he knew he was lying in bed in some dark room, but he couldn't be sure, as his head throbbed painfully and every nerve still burned.
Dimly, he saw someone sitting by his side, watching as he came to, and for a single panic-filled moment, he was unable to identify the person. Then-Lei! He tried to shout out his name, but ended up mouthing soundlessly. Lei smiled at him and began to speak, adopting the soothing tone to be used at the bedside of a very sick person.
"You won't be able to talk . Blink once if you can hear me." Hwoarang obliged, straining his ears as he did, for Lei's words sounded so faint, like they came from the end of a distant tunnel, and even his vision of him was somewhat blurred. "And you won't be able to hear or see all that well either." Lei turned to an approaching figure, and Hwoarang heard the wheezy voice of Dr. Boskonovitch.
" Ah, and how are we feeling today, young man?"
Like I've been run over by a truck, Hwoarang thought, and suddenly saw that his left arm was in a sling.
" I pulled you out of that exhaust shaft, kid," Lei said with a heavy sigh." I knew what they'd given you, and Dr.B had the antidote, but we feared we were too late. You know, you've been out for five days, and we thought that you'd sustained heavy neural damage, paralysis even, but you sure look good to me," he sounded vastly relieved, and his voice rose an octave.
Hwoarang had a thousand questions, and Lei was eager to provide answers. " You lied to me, kid," he suddenly accused with a frown. " About what you found at Kim's. Could have cost you your life. But at least someone knew real well how you'd think, knew you'd pull that running rabbit act, and made sure we were able to follow you."
Hwoarang had a flashback of Baek striking him. Could he have...? Lei confirmed his suspicions." Baek put a tracer bug on you, when, you know, he hit you...Wish I could have followed you straight, but Lana had it in for me, you know, for busting you out, so I was detained in HQ for a while. And then someone on the inside leaked out the news of your disappearance, and both Baek and I knew you'd be watched and targeted. Now Baek..." he sighed, shaking his head, and Hwoarang didn't want to hear the rest. " He was mad as hell at Lana for allowing the leak, and he wasn't in custody like me, so he went to that press conference Lana held, figured he should give her a piece of his mind... I s'ppose you know what happened next..."
Hwoarang nodded. He knew all right. Shot dead. His pain increased tenfold.
"Now that's where you're wrong, kid," Lei replied with a sly grin." See, they wanted to scare you into doing something stupid, now that you were on your own. They figured they'd be sending a message by killing Baek. Now, we kinda figured out what they'd do, not that hard really, 'cuz I've been up against worse villains like the Mishimas since forever. So we took precautions..." he chuckled." Baek was wearing a bulletproof vest when he went down. Now, I knew that, and Lana knew that, but I didn't think it would do for the Streltsy to know that."
Hwoarang found himself grinning too, and he felt light-headed all of a sudden." Then Lana and I spent some time spitting at each other, and then I was allowed to go after you. Oh, and the Streltsy most probably think you're dead. They wouldn't come back to remove you; they figure when your body was eventually found, people would think your death was a result of exposure or starvation in that pit. Yeah, so we have a little breathing room, before Lana comes to you for the truth."
XXXXXXX
Three days later
Hwoarang had recovered his strength and his voice, and he now sat in bed, facing his visitor. Lana was equipped with a pen, a pad and a tape recorder and was listening to his account of events. When he reached the part about the map, he asked for the pad and pen and sketched it from memory, having no trouble whatsoever with the details this time. "Better bust this place up, Ma'am," Hwoarang told her, indicating the Streltsy drug outlet on the map. She nodded, then slid a picture from her briefcase onto his bed. Hwoarang visibly recoiled.
"I take it that this is the man who attacked you on that rooftop?" she said.
"Y-yes." He averted his eyes from the lifeless ones of the man in the photo.
"So then, you will not mind testifying to that and to the rest of the details, in a hearing this afternoon?"
A voice rang out," If you intend to drag him out there without his guardian, then actually, yes I do mind."
Hwoarang's heart raced. He shakily got to his feet and walked over to meet the man- Baek.
Lana stood up and stared him down." His guardian?"
Baek thrust an official-looking document in her face in response. She gave it a precursory look, nodded curtly at Baek and left the room.
Now the two of them were alone.
"So..." Baek began mildly. Hwoarang sighed and decided to get it over with.
" Look, I'm sorry, okay?"
" And so you should be. However, if it wasn't for your outburst, I wouldn't have had an excuse to strike you, and plant that tracing device on you in the process. And I must say, a foul liar though you are, you have been shown to possess immense reserves of inner strength. I bow to your courage." And so he did.
Hwoarang was uncomfortable. " I did it for Master Kim..."
" Yes, well, " Baek sighed. " This is the part where I extend to you a formal invitation. If you are willing to forget Kim and the old life, that is." He handed Hwoarang the document he'd shown Lana. It was a certificate of adoption. By its terms, Hwoarang would become Rang Do San. So now, he had an official father figure and a home.
"Wow..." he muttered.
" Obtaining this was exceptionally hard, what with my prior records." Baek sighed again."This is what I've been working on during the time I was being distant with you. Fighting it out in court is no mean feat, I must say...And... I also feel that I owe you an apology. You were ultimately right. How can I expect you to be forthcoming with me, when I'm not as honest with you?"
XXXXXXX
Baek Do San Residence, Next Day
The hearing had gone rather well, except for the fact that when Hwoarang and Baek left, they were swarmed by reporters. Now, Hwoarang put it past him as he followed Baek across the grounds to that wooden structure beside the tool shed, the one with the boarded up windows.
" I haven't been in here for many years," Baek told him as he unlocked the door and led him inside." Not since that night..."
Through the dust and dimness, Hwoarang could tell that this place had once been a training dojo. He glanced at the mats on the floor, the scrolls on the walls, and noticed something large propped up on the floor, against the wall, and covered by a sheet of black canvas. Baek lifted the sheet with a sigh and Hwoarang saw an old portrait of a man greatly resembling his master.
"Your father?"
"Yes." A minute's silence." You must understand that it was an accident. We were sparring, and I got... carried away..."
"I'm... sorry." The apology sounded lame in his own ears, but Baek seemed to think otherwise, smiling sadly.
"Yes, I... could never forgive myself... I locked this place up, and, uh, I self-destructed, for lack of a better term...I did things, things I'm not proud of, but... your Master Kim saved me. After he found out, he, uh, said I shouldn't be punishing myself, that I had my whole life ahead of me, and that unlike him, I still had a choice. He threatened to kill me if I didn't back out, start a new life, and so, here I am..."
Hwoarang's admiration and affection for Baek soared. It had probably taken him a great deal of strength to come clean like that.
"Perhaps, considering what I've just said," Baek continued." You might not find me worthy of instructing you in our family's art of Tae Kwon Do, but I would be honoured to do so all the same."
"And I'd be even more honoured to learn from you," The words were out of Hwoarang's mouth before he knew it, and he bowed in deference. They went back outside.
" Hey, kid!" It was Lei, waving to him from the main gate. Baek nodded at Hwoarang and the boy went to greet the detective.
"How's that arm, kid?" Lei asked when they were face to face.
"Great. Thanks."
"Check this out." He handed Hwoarang a rolled up newspaper and when the boy unfolded it, he found his picture splashed all over the front page with a title that screamed," SING DISTRICT MASSACRE SURVIVOR BRINGS DOWN LETHAL DRUG OPERATIONS IN SEOUL." There was no mention of the Streltsy, and Hwoarang was not surprised. That was classified information, and so the Triads took the blame for everything, including the attacks on Baek and him. At least the public got to know about LDF and its horrific effects, and that Hwoarang was the only victim to have taken it and lived to tell the tale.
"Celebrity status, kid," Lei said, grinning." All those reporters from yesterday, and even foreign ones, they jumped me when I was coming here, gave me their cards and asked for exclusive interviews with you."
Hwoarang whistled."Wow..."
"Yeah..." A slight pause." So, um, I guess this is it, Rang Do San," he smiled, extended his hand. Hwoarang shook it heartily." Been nice knowing you, kid."
"Nice knowing you too, Lei. So, um, are you still in trouble?"
"Oh, yeah, Lana got me relieved from my duties here in Korea, and suspended from the ATF; the Anti Terrorist Force." He waved his hand dismissively. " But I guess it's alright, as long as people like Bryan remain locked up." He smiled suddenly. " Guess it's back to being the old Jackie-Chan-wannabe down in Hong Kong. I miss those days!"
Hwoarang returned the smile." Whatever gets you through the night, Lei, but I gotta say, you're one helluva super cop!"
"Thanks, kid. I feel real bad that most of those Streltsy clowns are still at large. Including the one who attacked you. Be careful, won't you?"
"Whatever. They wanna have another go at me, then bring it on!" He had thought about it last night, after the hearing, and knew that those people would want revenge on conclusion: If it's gonna happen, then it's gonna happen, and when the time comes, I'll be ready...
The End
A/N: I want to thank all of you who have followed Hwoarang's adventure, and who have given me their unwavering support. Thanks a million, this would never have been accomplished without you people, and so as a treat I am announcing the title and plot summary and providing a sneak preview of the sequel to this story.
Strange and Sinister: Three years have passed. Hwoarang is now older, stronger and wiser, but his fifteenth summer brings with it a series of strange and sinister events...
Sneak Preview: Hwoarang and his younger charge stood panting on the pavement. They shivered ifrom the strange chill, and tried to blend in with the crowd of passersbys. Hwoarang's cellphone vibrated, and he reached for it.
"Don't!" The girl said in an undertone, genuine fear in her eyes. He ignored her and took the call.
"Hello?" he said tentatively
A cold voice he did not recognise said," Rang Do San?"
"Just who the hell are you, people?" He hissed, peering wildly through the unseasonal mist at the towering office buildings of Tokyo.
"Never you mind. We just want you to know: As of now, you and your little cronies are officially dead."
And the line went dead.
"Who was it, and what do they want?" The girl asked, her bottom lip quivering.
He managed a shaky smile. No use panicking now. " Just some concerned neighbours, reminding us that we're out there in the open with a bull's eye on our backs." He turned away from her, once again scanning the surrounding vicinity, and as he did, his wan smile twisted into a fearful grimace...
Coming soon, only on FF/net