Twelve White Butterflies
Yugao
Author's Note: Thanks for reading and reviewing! Now here's the sixth story, Promise Kept. This is rated for a bit of cussing but nothing too bad. Still pretty innocent.
Disclaimer: I don't own Tekken, and unless I become a multi-billionaire I never will.
"I promised. And whether you like it or not, I never go back on my word."
Six… Promise Kept
"Promise kept."
He tossed the small orange catalog envelope in front of her. It was tightly sealed, but she knew what it was. She bit her lip anxiously, and her hands fidgeted in her lap. She didn't look up at him, and instead averted her eyes.
"You didn't have to," she whispered.
His raptor gaze was hard, intense, unforgiving. He grit his teeth as he stared at the young woman in front of him, the girl who refused to receive what he had given her. "I made a promise. And whether you like it or not, I never go back on my word."
It was hot – there was a power interruption, and it was toasty inside the building without the air conditioning. He turned away from her, irritated that she didn't answer. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other things to do." He made to leave.
"Wait."
Her voice triggered a memory of not too long ago, when that very word came out of his own mouth, pleading her to stay.
"What do I have to do, Julia, to prove myself to you? To let you know that I am no longer a Mishima, to let you know that I strive to be human?"
She turned to him, her voice filled with spite. "Human? Jin, think about it! You can't even try to be human. You're the son of the Devil himself, blessed that you are too the son of an angel. But human is not something you can be, feeling is not something you can do!"
"What is it you want?" his voice was unwavering, clear. Much unlike her frustrated stammer. "Tell me, and I'll give it to you."
She laughed liltingly, a chuckle of bitterness. "What do I want, Jin? I want you to overthrow your bastard grandfather and return to me the forest rejuvenation data he and his goddamn cronies stole. Maybe then I'll reconsider."
"Promise made," he murmured into the night.
He heard himself laugh, a wry chortle at the irony of it all.
Who was pleading now, asking for another chance?
"I… I'm sorry for what I said," she whispered. "I… realize now that… that I was wrong, that everything I said to you was silly and spiteful. You didn't have to do what I asked. You had every reason to ignore me."
"I couldn't ignore what you said," he replied, "I felt that somehow, I had to prove myself to you. I needed your trust, no matter what."
He turned to look at her. She was beautiful, as she always was – her delicately tanned skin, her long brown braids, and her honey brown eyes. Her usually cheery face was tear-stained and full of regret. He longed to reach out and wipe those tears away.
He held back. After what she said, he could not forgive her.
Instead, he turned and walked away. "But now, I don't really care anymore."
"I love you, Jin," he thought he heard her whisper.
Author's Note: Ouch. Talk about unhappy ending. Will you still review? Please?