Disclaimer: I don't own Tekken

A/N: Hello, readers and writers. We still have a lot to get to and several more characters to see, so there's no time to waste. Oh, and the second part of this chapter is partially inspired by and dedicated to Sei Honou. And here… we… go:

The King of Iron Fist Tournament 7: A Final Tragedy for the Finest Future

Hwoarang: Cracked Talon

A Student's Maturation

The sun's summer rays beamed down upon Hwoarang and his opponent. The two intensely stared each other down as the orange-haired Korean stood across from a muscular Chinese man with brass rings on his wrists, a long braided ponytail, and forked eyebrows. Apparently, Hwoarang and this man were dealing with the heat a lot better than the locals. They were in the center square of a small Spanish town, in the middle of some strange festival with the crowd constantly throwing tomatoes all over the place at each other. They were in the 'Festival del Tomate' where on each side, there was a large parked truck full of 'ammo', and the ground was colored bright red and made wet and slippery by the crushed fruit.

The announcer's voice then blasted into the area, "Feng Wei, Hwoarang, get ready for the battle!"

Hwoarang… That name struck a chord in Feng Wei's mind as he recalled where he'd seen this … 'distinctive' young man before.

"I've seen you with Baek Doo San." Feng Wei said, "How do you know him?"

"I am…" Hwoarang immediately paused and a stinging pain rose in his chest as he corrected himself, "I was his student."

Slightly confused, Feng Wei questioned, "Hmm? Student? I didn't know the Tae Kwon Do master had a student… You must not be that good."

Immediately, Hwoarang got into fighting stance and exclaimed with understandable enragement, "Oh yeah! Keep talkin' and I'll show you what I can do!"

Hwoarang's reaction sent up a red flag for Feng Wei, the tendency way too familiar to him. The Chinese Kenpo master immediately thought Hwoarang was hot-headed, and decided to taunt him further. After all, if he couldn't keep his mind off the edge, why shouldn't Feng Wei push him off it?

"Very well." Feng Wei continued, "It's either that … or he was embarrassed by you."

Hwoarang paused for a moment before stammering out with shock, "W-What…"

Feng Wei explained even further, "It's very simple… Either there was nothing to say or he didn't want to say anything. So … which one was it?"

Was this right? Could this be true? Is it even possible? Nothing but questions ran through Hwoarang's mind now. Slowly, he descended into sheer anger at the very thought of this: his head dropped, he clenched his fists tight, and his arms slowly began to tremble.

"Are you going to talk all day…?" Hwoarang said while barely able to control his rage, "Or are we going to fight?!"

Hwoarang's state of mind was undeniable. As the incensed Korean fighter got back into fighting stance, Feng Wei couldn't help but be satisfied with his suggestion.

Feng Wei thought to himself as he calmly got into fighting posture, "Like a sheep to slaughter. I've won this match before it's even begun."

The announcer's voice then exploded into the area, "Round 1! Fight!"

Hwoarang came out kicking, furiously stringing together kick after kick. Feng Wei meanwhile took a more defensive approach. Letting Hwoarang come after him, Feng Wei merely blocked the storm of attacks and retaliated with his safest moves including 'Stunning Palm', 'Iron Palm', and 'God Fist'. After waiting and bearing the initial onslaught, Feng Wei finally got an opportunity. Just as Hwoarang let out a kick aimed high, Feng Wei countered with a sidestepping sweep, taking the orange-haired Korean right off his feet. The Chinese Kenpo master followed while Hwoarang was defenseless with an extensive 'Bound' juggle.

"Just as I thought…" Feng Wei said as Hwoarang fought up to his feet, "Pathetic… Obviously, Baek Doo San wasted his time trying to train you."

Hwoarang shot back up to his feet and again went right back on the warpath. This time, Feng Wei went a step further and began turning his opponent's aggression around. He began utilizing his parries, 'Deceptive Step' and 'Shifting Clouds', and the mix-ups out of them.

After staggering Hwoarang with an overhead kick, a 'Scorpion Sting', Feng Wei said persisted once more, "You must do better than this … You shame your master and his style with that horrible variation of yours."

That … was just one too many. Hwoarang's wrath from then on was enough to overwhelm anyone, and completely run through Feng Wei. Right then, Hwoarang rose up into 'Left Flamingo', and, in anticipation of attack, Feng Wei did a 'Deceptive Step' backward. He then made a powerful step forward while gathering an orange aura and extra power in his legs, and Feng, trying to quickly move forward, performed a 'Lingering Shadow' dash. Finally, Hwoarang unleashed all the strength he built up in a vicious overhead kick, a 'Power Blast', slamming Feng into the ground, filling the air with orange sparks upon impact.

Just as Feng Wei quick-recovered, Hwoarang dashed forward with a powerful launching kick, a 'Sky Rocket', shooting the Chinese Kenpo master very high into the air. Finally, as his opponent came plummeting down, Hwoarang raised his leg high as he gathered a green-and-red aura around his foot, and, just as Feng Wei hit the ground, slammed his foot down with a 'Dynamite Heel'. It was one of the most impressive displays to end a round in recent memory.

"Hwoarang wins!" The announcer's voice resonated through the area.

Not breaking his stance, Hwoarang exclaimed with aggression, "Not talking now, are you?! Stand up and fight!"

Feng Wei quickly rose to his feet with obvious irritation in his face, and got right back into fighting stance.

The announcer's voice then reverberated through the area, "Round 2! Fight!"

At this point, Feng Wei was finished with mind games, and was fighting with anger. Hwoarang however didn't have any trouble matching it. In fact, that strategy actually favored Hwoarang's style, but Feng Wei held more than his own. Needless to say, the match was extreme, but eventually Hwoarang got the better of it.

First, the orange-haired Korean caught him with a triple flying kick, a 'Hunting Hawk'. Just as Feng Wei got up, Hwoarang slashed right back with a brutal spinning kick, a 'Circular Saw'. Before Feng Wei could even counter, Hwoarang caught him again with a lifting side kick, a 'Plasma Blade', and finished it with a midair leg toss, an 'Overhead Toss'. The anger and motivation of the orange-haired Korean, the now-premier Taekwondo practitioner, lead him to a sweep.

"Hwoarang wins!" The announcer's voice resounded through the area, "Please proceed to the next round!"

As Feng Wei tried to lift himself up, Hwoarang walked over and sat on his back, pushing Feng's body and face back into the red mush.

Hwoarang then asserted with great intensity, "Listen up! I'm Hwoarang, the 'Blood Talon' of the 'Killing Hawk' … and don't forget it!"

With that, Hwoarang lifted himself up and began to leave. The crowd suddenly stopped, dropping and ignoring the tomatoes for a moment, and applauded the victor as he exited.

---

Her Fighter, His Princess

A gentle breeze ushered in an abundant dose of fresh ocean air. The star-filled night sky and an accompanying, particularly bright full moon hung beautifully over the visible landscape. The sound of waves peacefully crashing could be heard from all around. Standing in the middle of this, Hwoarang felt a subtle sense of peace slowly creeping upon him as these factors began to fill his senses … despite his immediate surroundings. Hwoarang was actually standing in the designated fighting ring on the deck of a large luxury cruise liner, the 'Paradise at Sea' stage. Strings of lights were suspended overhead. Many people in dress attire were waiting to see the fight, whether they were sitting down or hovering around the general area.

Slowly, he heard a rising of claps and cheers coming from behind him, causing him to turn in that direction, and, in that moment, a subtle chill fell over him when he saw what the cheers were for. Walking into the area was none other than his 'employer', Emily 'Lili' Rochefort wearing black wraps around her hands and a band around her left arm, a gray corset, gray denim jeans with an embroidered rose on one side, and white sneakers. Naturally, many of these higher-society people knew who she was, and voiced their support for her, applauding and even standing up to do so. Also naturally, Lili enjoyed the attention, playing to the crowd as she made her way to and up the steps onto the fighting stage.

The announcer's voice then blasted through the ship and echoed out into the ocean, "Lili Rochefort, Hwoarang, get ready for the next battle!"

Lili greeted her 'bodyguard', "Nice to see you again … 'Tramp'."

Hwoarang immediately returned, "Same to you … 'Lady'."

Lili continued, confidently saying, "I guess my apology to you earlier was warranted after all."

While the comment (and the aforementioned 'apology') sounded haughty, the real reason for them was Lili's way of checking on Hwoarang. It was a way for her to gauge where he was at mentally, by seeing his reactions, his words, his expressions. However, what she saw wasn't good as he was definitely not himself. Until now, the return to fighting had been an escape, a way to forget if for a time. However, the last match struck nerve with Hwoarang, and it took its toll. As time began to pass and Hwoarang's anger died down, everything slowly came drifting back, again plaguing him mentally. It was akin to slowly tearing the bandage of a still bleeding wound. As he did the whole time he'd been experiencing this pain, Hwoarang somewhat detached himself from the tournament, and seemed sidetracked to those around him.

Looking away, Hwoarang distractedly replied, "Yeah … maybe it was."

Lili paused with dread as she sensed his distant manner, a sign he was not doing any better.

Trying to snap him out of it, Lili insisted, "Well, at least do me a favor … at the very least try to make me work for it."

Hwoarang replied distractedly again, not even turning around, "… You got it."

Lili persisted even further, "You know … you could at least look at your opponent before they beat you."

"…" Hwoarang didn't respond for a moment, but eventually he slowly turned to face her, "Let get on with this. Come on."

Hwoarang slowly assumed his fighting stance, but Lili could tell he wasn't ready to fight. But in reality, neither was she, discouraged by how distant he was. In many ways, this meant he was in more pain and worse off than he was before. Nevertheless, Lili, reluctant as she was, assumed her fighting stance.

Immediately, the announcer's voice boomed through the ship, "Round 1! Fight!"

Just as Lili suspected, Hwoarang was evidently off throughout the round. He was not as aggressive as he could be or should be as dictated by his style. His attacks seemed slower and he also seemed to miss a lot more than usual. This as such threw Lili as she was not sure of what to do: Should she be aggressive, turn up the heat so to speak in an attempt to snap him out of it? Should she go easy to coax him out of it? The whole situation generally captured her in indecision. Ultimately, a somewhat weak 'Twin Pistons' barely managed to win the round for Hwoarang.

The announcer's voice quickly rang out into the ocean, "Hwoarang wins!"

Lili, in a final attempt to get a rise out of him, judged as she got up, "Utterly … average. A truly subpar performance indeed, 'Tramp'."

Again averting his eyes, Hwoarang in the same unfocused tone as before replied, "… Sorry, Princess."

Lili finally asked, letting her concern show, "Hwoarang … what's wrong?"

Hwoarang did not seeing the question coming, and gave her a confused look as he said, "Huh? What are you talking about?!"

Lili explained with empathy, "Hwoarang … it's obvious your mind is somewhere else. You're going through something, and it's hurting you. Please don't hold it in. Please talk to me."

Hwoarang quickly grew agitated, and replied, "Stop! I mean it. Just let it go."

Lili sympathetically insisted, "Please … I hate seeing you like this, and I just want to help… I understand…"

Hwoarang quickly interrupted, lashing out, "No, you don't! You don't understand, and you can't! Stop acting as if you know because you don't! You don't know anything!!"

Lili didn't expect that reaction, and quickly was hurt by it. She couldn't understand why he would try to hurt that way. All she wanted to do was help, and that was how reacted? Just as quickly, Lili's ire raised, her hands tightening into fists and her jaw clenching. Almost instantly, Hwoarang realized what he said.

Hwoarang hesitantly continued, "Princess, I … Uhh!"

Lili cut him off and exclaimed obviously upset, "Well… if that's how you feel. Fine!"

Lili immediately got in fighting stance, and Hwoarang, the situation clearly out of his hands now, reluctantly got back into fighting stance.

The announcer's voice reverberated off the ship's deck, "Round 2! Fight!"

Lili's very first move revealed her mindset for the rest of the fight to come. Just as Hwoarang came out with his attack, Lili bounded over it, and balanced herself single-handedly on top of Hwoarang's head. Immediately, Hwoarang's eyes met hers for a fleeting moment that seemed like an eternity, but the image immediately burned in his mind. Though her face was largely emotionless, her eyes burned with great intensity and anger. It was a look Hwoarang had only seen once, and he wasn't (nor did he want to be) on the end of it … that time. The next moment, Lili let gravity and momentum aid in the rest of the counter as she allowed herself to fall … driving Hwoarang's head right into the ground as she landed.

It was clear that Lili meant business, that she was no longer taking any prisoners. The round was dominated by Lili as she danced circles around the still somewhat distracted Hwoarang, practically and literally. In the end, Lili connected with an axe kick right to his forehead, a 'Hooking Heel', and, before he could react, she punished with a foot stomp to his gut, an 'Edelweiss'.

"Perfect!" the announcer's voice blasted off the ocean and into the ocean air, "Lili wins!"

Hwoarang slowly rose to his feet, one hand still rubbing his still-stinging forehead, and entreated, "Alright, alright, I know… I'm sorry, Princess."

Still upset with him, Lili didn't respond, merely folding her arms angrily and slight turning away from him.

"Listen…" Hwoarang, trying to rectify the whole problem, confessed, "You're right… I am having a hard time. I just … don't know how to deal with this."

Still upset, Lili lashed out this time, "Whatever! That's still no reason to insult me!"

"You're right; I was out of line." Hwoarang continued to apologize, "I shouldn't have lashed out at you like that. I guess … I'm just not ready to talk about this yet."

Finally, Lili let out a sigh out a combination of acceptance and irritation, and offered, "Very well … but, at the very least, are you finally going to start fighting seriously?"

Hwoarang paused momentarily, but soon threw a few kicks into the air, and replied as he got into fighting stance once again, "Come on!"

"Finally!" Lili exclaimed before going into her fighting stance once more.

Without delay, the announcer's voice blasted onto the ship's deck, "Final Round! Fight!"

As he said he would, Hwoarang shook off his distractions and fought with everything. Lili, determined not to go down without a fight, took hold of her momentum from the previous round added to her aggression. Like Steve and Christie, Hwoarang and Lili had become intimately familiar with each other's fighting styles after being together for so long. Unlike Steve and Christie however, these two had not spend any significant time apart, so they'd seen everything. Lili knew each interruption in Hwoarang's kicking strings, and Hwoarang knew each move that required more recovery time than she had.

With all their knowledge and motivation coming to a head, both fighters clashed to put on a classic show, motivating even the reserved and taciturn audience attending to stand and cheer. And the ending was just a display of their familiarity. Attacking, Hwoarang came flying in with a double kick, a 'Flying Eagle'. Knowing how to counter it, Lili spun around it, grabbed him as he landed and turned his body, setting him up for a 'Kiss of Devotion'. Hwoarang quickly recalled how to counter, and stayed on step ahead. Hwoarang quickly twisted away from Lili's grasp while holding her arm, spun them both around, and delivered a roundhouse kick to the back of her head, reversing her throw into his 'Pickpocket'.

As the crowd clapped in appreciation, the announcer's voice boomed off the deck and into the ocean, "Hwoarang wins! Please proceed to the next round!"

Quickly, Hwoarang went to Lili's side, and asked with slight concern as he helped her to her feet, "You okay, Princess?"

"Considering I just lost…" Lili replied, "I'll be fine."

Hwoarang then ventured to ask, "So … am I forgiven?"

Lili gave a rather reluctant sigh and offered, "You know I can't stay angry at you for very long…" She then exerted as she pokes him in the chest for emphasis, "But don't ever assail me like that again!"

"I promise." Hwoarang replied.

Lili then offered, "When you are ready to talk … you can always come to me."

"Thanks…" Hwoarang said as shed the slightest of smiles, "Lili."

That was one of the few times Hwoarang called her by name; he said they were only for 'special occasions'. His saying that meant very importantly to Lili that he was going to be alright. With that sign of recovery, Lili softened and gave him a sweet smile.

"Well, now that that's done, let us leave this place." Lili continued.

With that, she and Hwoarang right behind her stepped down from the stage, and began to leave. However, as they walked along the deck, they stopped when they overheard three suited men talking…

"So, who do you have winning this tournament?" One of the men asked the other two.

The youngest of them answered first, saying, "I'm not sure they all seem like good fighters."

The biggest one replied with analysis, "Well, while I'm surprised by Miharu Hirano, and Lee Chaolan is still good after all these years … I consider both of them long-shots, very unlikely either wins it all… Now, Asuka Kazama and Lars Alexandersson are interesting choices, but I don't see them competing either. In fact, I don't think either of them will get past the next round… For my money, I would chose either Heihachi or Kazuya Mishima. They're both tearing up their competition, so it's basically a coin toss between them."

"Interesting," the first man noted, " You didn't even mention Jin Kazama at all."

The second man added, "Yeah, why not? I mean, he is the reigning champion after all…"

The third man continued, "For now, he is. Normally, I wouldn't bet against the guy, but … I've seen all his fights this time around, and I doubt he'll repeat. Something just seems off about him. I don't know why, but he doesn't look like himself, definitely not like he did in the last tournament."

Immediately, the last excerpt intrigued Hwoarang. What did that guy mean? How could it be?

"Not like himself?" Hwoarang thought, "What's messing with Kazama?!"

End Chapter

Next Time: "My job is to protect… His fight with you … is my fight as well."

A/N: There's chapter 6. I actually managed to shave a day off my time, so I'm pretty satisfied with that. Next, we'll visit a particularly popular newcomer, so I hope you come back. I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you read more. Please R&R, and, as always, Rant, Rave, and Review.