Twelve White Butterflies
Yugao
Author's Note: Wow, I'm more than halfway through! Amazing… anyway, this is story number eight, titled A Home To Return To. Please review!
Disclaimer: I don't own Tekken, and unless I become a multi-billionaire I never will.
"I don't want safety. I don't want protection. I want to spend all my days with you."
Eight… A Home To Return To
Jin swiveled his chair idly so that it turned to face the large rows of crystal tiles. Outside the rain was coming down in torrents. Thunder and lightning cleaved the gray sky, cutting it into two. He leaned back against his black leather chair, smiling at the irony of it all. He had vowed to kill his grandfather and end the curse of the Mishima bloodline, and now here he was, sitting in the very chair Heihachi had sat on only a few months before.
In the fluorescent light, he could almost see his reflection in the crystal, that of a young man in his prime, sitting on the chair that marked supremacy over all of the Mishima Zaibatsu. His suit, which had before seemed so itchy and uncomfortable, now fit like a second skin. He smirked at the easiness with which he accepted his new position.
"Master."
He turned his chair to find one of his bodyguards bow slightly. He raised his eyebrow to show he was listening. The man continued. "A very… wet Miss Julia Chang is here to see you, sir. How would you like to proceed?"
"Bring her here."
The man bowed again, and exited the majestic wooden doors. In a moment, he returned, ushering a shivering young woman into the room.
He suppressed his grin for until when they were alone.
Raidon wasn't joking when he'd said she was wet – in fact, the man barely ever joked at all. Julia was, from head to toe, covered in rainwater. Her braids were limp and her bangs clung to the sides of her head, the ends still dripping. Her denim jacket and jeans were matted with water and clung tightly to her skin. Her white leather boots were soaked, and probably beyond repair.
Her voice was shaking when she finally reached his desk. "You wanted to see me?"
"Ever heard of an umbrella?" he asked her.
She groaned. "It wasn't raining when I left, all right? What was it you wanted to tell me that couldn't be said over the phone?"
"A lot, actually. The first is, Julia, you're going to get sick."
She glared at him.
"But the reason I called you here is… because I would like to offer you some help with your Forest Rejuvenation project. There are a few of Mishima Zaibatsu's scientists based in America, and I could ask them to…"
She shook her head. "I appreciate the offer, Jin, but the project is nearing fruition. You would be hiring those scientists for nothing."
They were silent.
"Is there something else you'd like to tell me?" she asked finally.
Yes.
There are a thousand things I'd like to tell you.
I just can't find the words.
"No," he mumbled.
She nodded.
"When will you be returning to Arizona?" he asked.
She looked up. "I… I don't know. I…" she looked into his eyes, and her gaze never wavered when she said, "I'm not sure I want to leave."
"Julia, we talked about this…"
She smiled sadly. "I know."
"You can't stay here. It's not safe. My grandfather's still out to reclaim the Zaibatsu, as are my father and my uncle. Everyone is trying to kill me, and for you to stay here would be bringing danger to you, too," he said, reiterating what he'd told her a few nights before.
He expected her to give the same answer she gave last time: a small grin, and a wry "good luck, then."
She didn't.
Once again, she did the exact opposite of what he'd expected her to do.
She stood, and sighed. "Jin, haven't you figured it out yet? I don't want safety. I don't want protection. I want to spend all my days with you."
He sat there, dumbstruck, as he stared up at the defiant girl before him. "Julia… you're going to be sick. What you need now is rest. Come on, I'll drive you to your hotel."
He'd said it, and he could see the crestfallen look on her face.
He had, once again, taken the coward's way out.
Jin brought her down the elevator and to the parking lot, where he asked his chauffer to drive both of them to Julia's hotel. The ride was silent, and he could feel the tension in the air. All throughout the drive, she didn't look at him once – her gaze was concentrated on the light droplets of rain falling on the car window.
Soon they reached the building, and she opened the door, said a harried "goodbye," and left.
Jin leaned back against the car seat as the limousine started to move. Yet again… he had made the wrong choice.
Author's Note: Waaah. Nuff said. Please review.