Twelve White Butterflies

Yugao

Author's Note: Haha, seven down, five more to go. Here's number seven, No Strings Attached. A random fact: I came up with the idea while in church. Whoa…

Disclaimer: I don't own Tekken, and unless I become a multi-billionaire I never will.

"That's what love is. Limitless. Without boundaries."

Seven… No Strings Attached

Where… am I?

Julia knew something wasn't right. She'd just thought the three words that the damsel in distress usually says when she wakes up after being conked out. She wished she knew the answer to her own question, and save herself the humiliation of having to ask it.

Anything, she begged her mind, Convince me that I'm at home in Arizona, waking up after a jet-lagged sleep. Tell me I'm back at the hotel, tired and weary from a match that went overboard. Anything, please…

Her vision was blurry as she tried to lift herself up off the bed. Her knuckles cracked as she tried to lean on them, and her back was sore. Resignedly she slumped back against the pillow.

Calmly she lay there, her eyes open. Slowly, the blur she saw sharpened, and she let her eyes roam the room. The walls were white, and her bed was surrounded by a white curtain with little lavender polka dots. Her hair was let loose instead of in their usual braids, and so they fell in long curls behind her back. She looked down at her hand, and saw a small tube attached to the back of it, that led back to a bag of dextrose. Her whole left leg was wrapped in a cast, while the right was bandaged.

Her brow furrowed with confusion. What was she doing in the hospital? Why couldn't she remember?

Breaking her train of thought was a motherly nurse, who had pushed back the curtain. She seemed pleasantly surprised to find her awake. "Thank goodness!" she said with a wide smile, "The doctors were afraid for you, young lady. Would you like to sit up? I can help you."

"Yes, please," she replied. The nurse moved a lever attached to the bed and Julia felt herself move upward until she was in a sitting position. She smiled at the woman and said softly, "Thank you."

The nurse grinned, as she made sure the pillows were arranged comfortably. "It's all right, dear, we do it everyday. Is there anything you want?"

Julia thought for a while. "How long have I been here?"

"Why, you've been in and out of consciousness for three days already. This is the first time you've come awake for so long, though, so you're a really lucky girl," she said as she turned to the table by the bedside. "And your wounds! They were quite deep, dear, did you get into a fight or something?"

Wounds…? A fight? What is she talking about? She put her hand to the side of her head. Why can't I remember?

"It's such a good thing that young man brought you here when he did, sweetie, you would've been gone for sure… such a handsome boy, he was, was he your boyfriend? You barely see men like that anymore… and he's paying for your hospital bills, too, such a nice boy…" the nurse continued.

Young man…?

"Did you… did you catch his name?" she asked, hoping that the nurse knew, so that she might remember, too.

The woman looked up, and shook her head as she brushed away a few strands of red-orange hair. "No, sorry, dear."

Julia slumped back against the bed, not noticing she'd sat up when she'd asked.

She popped the lid off a bottle and took a pill from it. She handed it to Julia, with a glass of water. "Go back to sleep, child. You might remember when you wake up."

She took the pill, downed it with some water, and handed the glass back to the nurse. In no time at all, she was asleep.

"She woke up this morning, sir."

"Really? What did she say?"

"She was asking about you."

"Did you tell her?"

"No. But she genuinely seemed to have forgotten everything that happened."

"She doesn't remember…"

The voices were distant, far away. She wanted to hear more, but she was still half-asleep. She knew she was going to drift back to sleep, but she couldn't let that happen. Both voices were familiar, and she struggled to listen in to the conversation.

"I suppose not, sir. She did have a pretty bad fall, as you said."

It was a woman's voice – and she remembered it from the nurse who'd been so nice to her that morning. Was it really just that morning? It seemed like ages ago.

If she could remember the nurse, why couldn't she remember what had happened three days ago?

"Do… do you think you could let me see her?"

It was a man's voice, perhaps the young man the nurse was talking about. His voice was so familiar, as if she'd been hearing it for years. Yet, she couldn't quite place it. There, right in front of her, was the memory of the man, and still she couldn't remember who it was. She put a hand to the side of her head, trying to stop the nagging feeling that she knew quite well who had saved her that night.

"Of course, sir."

The curtain was drawn back, bringing the blinding fluorescent light to her eyes. Instinctively she covered her eyes with her hand, until they finally became accustomed to the light. She let it rest by her side, and looked up.

The young man had been watching her for a while, she realized. He didn't smile, nor did he scowl. The look on his face was pure recognition, and it triggered a memory that had long been hidden from her.

Her match had been against Bryan Fury, in the ruins of a temple far from the city. The match was over, and she surrendered, but the sadist continued to beat her down with a sick grin on his face. She was on the ground, trying in vain to deflect his merciless stomps, but she couldn't. She was on the edge of the terrace, and the fence that protected her from falling had long been taken by termites.

She gripped the end of the floor, fearful for her life. The fall wouldn't be fatal, but there would certainly be broken bones. Out of the corner of her eye she knew that the Tekken forces were moving to restrain Bryan, but they were still too far off. They would never get to her in time.

And Jin, where was he? She knew he was watching.

Bryan pulled out a dagger from his pocket, and with it made a long gash along her right leg. "Good night, little girl." As he pulled away the dagger he nudged her with his foot, until she fell from the ledge.

Falling, with the anticipation of hitting the ground, was horrifying. She closed her eyes and prayed to the good spirits that she would somehow survive.

She landed on her left leg, and felt the excruciating pain of dislocated joints and broken bones. "Julia!" the cry was far off, and the last thing she saw before she blacked out…

… Was now staring her in the face.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she reached out towards Jin with one arm. It circled his neck and drew him close. He seemed surprised, but didn't move. "Thank you," she whispered.

She let go, and he managed a smile. "I promise I'll pay you back as soon as I get the money," she murmured.

"No."

"What?"

"I said, no. I already paid for your bills. Don't feel like you owe me anything."

"Why not?"

He smiled, and it was sincere. "Because that's what love is. Limitless. Without boundaries."

Author's Note: Wheee… summer's almost over for me, I'm so envious of the rest of you! I think I'm going to hate Chemistry… anyway, please review!