Chapter 30: Until Next Time

There was an amusement park that Kazuya had rightly assumed that Jun would like. She just couldn't seem to go on any of the big rides without Kazuya sitting right next to her—not that he minded much. Going at such a high speed was exhilarating for Kazuya. In fact, it might have been possible that he was enjoying himself more than Jun. She was visibly winded each time, but Kazuya always seemed ready for more.

"You daredevil," Jun accused the other after they got off one of such rides, "I gotta' sit down somewhere."

"No one's forcing you to go on them. You're just a glutton for punishment."

Jun only gave him a side-glance as she trudged off to a place that was selling food and had a place to sit. Kazuya followed after her.

"You know, you didn't have to pay for those tickets—it was really expensive," Jun said after Kazuya caught up to her.

"You just can't resist worrying about things. Don't worry, it's not like I have nothing to spend. If I could, I would spend the rest of everything I had on you."

"Oh, Kazuya—don't do anything crazy like that. You still have to live, right?"

"I am, right now. You could go on however many rides you like."

"You'll come with me, right?"

"Of course. Wouldn't want you to catch a heart attack. Although, I noticed you had no trouble with those teacups."

"Pfft, please; I'm an adventure-seeker. I had to upgrade from all that kiddy stuff."

"Right. Why don't you just take it easy? You want some food?"

"If I eat now, I won't be able to go back on those rides without getting sick."

"Well then, don't ride them."

"But you like them, right?"

"You're impossible, you know that? Just for a moment, could you think about yourself?"

"Isn't that what you're here for?" Jun responded with a small smile.

"You stay right here, then. I'll be back with some food."

She hadn't even seen him smile the entire time, but she knew that he must have been a good mood, a far better mood than earlier that day. In her mind, this was a date even if neither of them dared to say it aloud. It was quite obvious. When only one person was doing all the spending and insisted on doing it, then it automatically became a date. In order for them to have been going on a date, then they had to be in some kind of relationship. Surely, they were grown-up enough to discuss at least the fact that they were more than friends. But Jun never got up the courage to say as much the entire time even after he came back with the food and they ate together.

They went to the booths next where Kazuya found that Jun was just as bad at aiming as she was with handling big rollercoasters. Kazuya watched with amusement.

"Well I'm glad someone's having fun. I can't win anything. How 'bout you try it?"
"And you think that I've suddenly become an excellent marksmen?"

"What's wrong? Scared? Don't want to make a fool of yourself?"

"Fine, I'll do it, if you plan on going on like that."

Kazuya took up the small ball and after a moment of eyeing the target—a plastic bottle—he went for it. He missed it entirely in fact, but he had thrown it so hard that bounced back from the board behind and managed to hit it straight on. The bottle flew out and Jun had to dodge it.

"Woh, you really are an excellent marksmen. You planned that!" Jun exclaimed.

"Sure, I totally planned that."

The ball, however, was nowhere to be found.

"Umm…sir does that count?" Jun asked the person presiding over the booth.

"Oh, fine, what the heck. Take your pick, little lady."

"Really?"

"Yep. That's the best hit I've seen all day."

"I want that big teddy bear."

"Okay," the man said reaching over to get it out from behind the glass case. "Here you go."

The bear was almost taller than Jun, but she hugged it all the same.

"Here," Jun said to Kazuya as she handed it over to him, "My gift to you."

"What?" Kazuya asked caught by surprise.

"It's for you, take it. You did win it after all."

When Jun was sure Kazuya was holding it she let go of it.

"Is it okay if I give it back to you?" Kazuya asked after a moment.

It was impossible to see his face now what with all the bear.

"No, I don't want it 'cus I gave it to you."

"Ah, Jun, what am I going to do with this?"

"Keep it, of course. That way, you'll have something to remember me by."

"Jun, of course I'm going to remember you. You don't have to give me this."

"Too late. It's already done."

"Fine. I'll stuff it somewhere."

"You better not lose it, Kazuya."

"I won't. I'll keep it in a safe place."

"Right, tell me anything."

By then, Kazuya had tucked it under his arm so that he could see her properly. It was hard to tell if he was lying or just saying things to make her shut-up about it.

"You gonna' stand there all day? Didn't you want to try the one with the water guns?"

"Oh, yeah, let's go already."

Jun was already running off and Kazuya was busy trying to keep up with her while lugging the unwieldy bear. At some point, he simply put it over his back and held on to its paws over his shoulders. The bear would be granted a nice piggyback ride for the time being. Kazuya watched as Jun aimed and missed almost all the shots she had with the water gun—it was just as amusing as last time.

"Jun, do me a favor and never become a cop—you're a horrible shot," Kazuya said after nearly half an hour passed and she had not improved in the least. "How long you want to keep on losing?"

"Oh, shut-up, I'm getting better."

"Keep telling yourself that."

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be supportive?"

"Why would I support something you obviously can't do? Come on, Jun, let's try something else."

"Have you seen these booths lately? All of them have to do with aiming."

"Not that one," Kazuya said pointing towards the one that consisted of a hammer and a bell.

"Oh, no, I'm not going for that one."

"Never know, might be better than you think."

"Alright, I'll try it out just once."

"Just once? I thought you were more stubborn than that."

Jun glared at the other and then walked off to where Kazuya had been looking. He followed in suit.

"Here goes, Kazuya," Jun said as she picked up the rubber hammer.

Kazuya could tell that she put a lot of strength into her downward thrust. It came as no surprise to him as the bell all the way at the top of the meter rung as clear as day.

"Oh my gosh, I did, I did it! What do I win?" Jun asked excitedly to the guy who seemed to be in charge of the prizes.

"Please, not another bear," Kazuya warned.

"I want that slinky."

Kazuya didn't really care what it was she got as long as it wasn't a teddy bear. The two of them stayed at the amusement park for the majority of the day—Jun had to try every single thing that was there and she would not be satisfied otherwise. Though he enjoyed the fact that Jun was enjoying herself, he still was relieved when he finally could convince her to go elsewhere, someplace quieter with less people.

"Wow, that was so fun, I could stay there forever."

"Unfortunately, it doesn't stay open forever," Kazuya replied as they walked out into the parking lot.

"Where else are we going?"
"You really do like adventure. I guess I have one other place in mind. I think you'll like it."

"Is it a surprise?"

"It's a surprise. It's always better that way."

Kazuya was glad only that he could keep a smile on her face. He hadn't thought he was up for the job when she had first suggested going somewhere, but so far he had proved himself wrong. Perhaps Jun was far easier to please than he first thought. He glanced over at her when she noticed the sign that came into view as he eased into the parking lot. She was quite surprised.

"It's a botanical garden. Oh, I always wanted to go to one."

"Now you can."

"I wish I had my camera."

There was far less people here than there had been at the amusement park. Being that it was night time, there were even fewer people, but the garden itself was still open. Jun once again tried to gauge how much money it would take for two people to gain entry into the garden and it was just as expensive as the other place. This time, however, Jun made no comments about it. Kazuya seemed quite willing to pay for all of it.

It was quite magical especially at night time. The blooming flowers seemed to have a glow of their own. Jun found herself pointing out many of them and explaining their properties. Before she knew it, she was practically giving the other a botany lecture. She might have stopped herself if he hadn't seemed quite as interested as he did at the moment. He would pepper her with questions whenever it seemed that she was unsure of where to start or where to continue. She remembered all the other dates she had been on, but they had hardly been like this and she certainly wasn't the one doing the most talking. Near the end of the decidedly huge garden there was yet another place to sit. There was a large central wooden pole that ran up to the ceiling and was filled with green vines that curled all around it. An octagonal bench was placed around this central area. It was here that they decided to take a seat.

Moonlight filtered through from the foliage above. The night was alive with the sounds of small wildlife. Now that a silence had fallen upon the two of them, the sounds became far more prevalent. Jun found that she didn't mind the silence. Just being in his presence was enough. She laid back upon his lap and she found herself falling asleep. Under normal circumstances, it'd be almost impossible to fall asleep in a place completely foreign to her, but for some reason with Kazuya there, that no longer mattered. She felt his hands upon her. For as long as she had known him, she had not known him to be so touchy-feely. He had always kept a respectful distance and it was she who would have to breech the distance barrier. Whenever she did, he never seemed to mind so she would continue to do so as she did this night, but he had never responded in this manner. She felt herself blushing as she felt his hand run down the length of her bare legs in a rhythmic manner. At first, he was only on the lower half of her legs and he slowly edged his way up to her thighs, but he stopped there as if he thought better of it and returned to his previous position. It was rather cool outside and Kazuya seemed more like a furnace—his hands were equally so.

"How do you like it?" Kazuya asked cutting through the silence.

For a moment, Jun was confused as to what he was referring to, but then she realized that he was talking about her trip to the botanical gardens. She looked up at him, but his eyes seemed to be on something else besides her. She wondered if he realized that she had been falling asleep a few moments ago.

"It's nice. Especially at night time. Is that why you took me here?"

"Well, it seemed like something you would appreciate."

"I'm guessing you wouldn't come here on your own."

Kazuya was silent for a long time to the point that Jun did not think he would respond but he surprised her.

"Contrary to popular belief, fighting isn't all that I do."

"That's nice to know. Maybe I don't have to worry about you so much."

"You just can't help yourself."

Jun smiled briefly at this. "Kazuya, come with me."

"Not this again."

"I don't know how I could bear being away from you for this long. Now that I see you again…I know it sounds ridiculous to you, I know that sometimes I can be a burden, but it would mean a lot to me if I could see you more often."

"No, it doesn't sound ridiculous," he said taking a deep breath. "Cherish these moments that we have together. I doubt they would come very often."

"Why do you say that? What if I came back every holiday?"

"Where I go you cannot. I don't want you anywhere near. You might not like it, but that is the way it should be."

"Now who's the one who's worried? Are you trying to not hurt my feelings? I'm not just some little girl who needs to be protected."

"Well, you're certainly not 'little' anymore."

From the way he said this, Jun found herself blushing once again. When she looked up, this time she saw that he was staring down at her. She might have melted right there had she been made out of butter.

"It's getting late," Kazuya said after a moment. "Would hate to see bags on that beautiful face of yours."

She was caught off guard by the compliment and it did little to ease her blushing. He must have seen this because she could already see the beginnings of a smirk crease his face.

"Let's just stay a little while longer. It really is pretty here."

Really, she didn't feel like giving up her comfortable position in his lap. The coolness of the outside was just enough for her to appreciate the warmth radiating from Kazuya. She wasn't sure when she fell asleep or when she had gotten back to Kazuya's place, but the next morning, she awoke to the light of the sun flowing through partially open blinds.

"Kazuya…?" Jun asked as soon as she sat up.

She looked down at the bed beside her and saw that it had recently been slept in. A smile came to her face as the front door opened. Immediately she was greeted with the smell of breakfast food.

"I hope you haven't been waiting long. I didn't want to wake you until the last minute."

"No…I just woke up."

Kazuya closed the door behind himself and set the food on the table next to her.

"Well, if we plan on getting you home soon enough so that you can have some time to pack, we'll have to leave in thirty minutes."

"Alright, let me go wash off a little."

Jun watched as the other went to a drawer to take out a fresh wash cloth and as he gave it to her to use. She went through everything in a kind of daze. Everything seemed so surreal. It wasn't often that she woke to Kazuya bringing her breakfast—she hadn't wanted any of it to end. It wasn't often that she knew Kazuya to be in such a good mood—at least she sensed that he was.

She sat down on the bed beside him and ate a quick breakfast with him and then they climbed into his luxurious car and sped off to her house that ordinarily would have been two hours away. However, they made it a half an hour earlier. Jun soon rushed into the house and quickly through her luggage together. Luckily, she had only brought one roller luggage so she didn't have too many things to put back into it. She said her goodbyes to her startled mom, kissed her once and made her way back out to Kazuya's waiting car.

"I'll remember to call you more!" Jun called out to her mom as the car was backing out of the driveway.

Jun could tell that her mom's eyes were on the driver. Jun was sure her mom had a lot of questions on her lips but Jun didn't allow her enough time to ask them before she was gone from sight once again. She really was planning on calling her mom more often; she deserved that for all she had done for her.

"You really are a reckless driver," Jun commented as she glanced over at the speedometer.

"You don't want to be late do you?"

"Well, I don't want to be in an accident either."

"Don't worry—that won't happen."

"I know."

Kazuya only glanced over at her briefly and then returned his eyes to the road. She was really going back. She was really returning to the world that she had come to accept as her new life. All of this would again seem like a dream. Sometimes she would lie in bed and wonder if Kazuya even existed. He would be there one moment warm and comforting and the next moment there would be this large gaping hole in her life that she'd have to pretend wasn't there at all. Was there really a guy out there that could make her melt with a simple compliment? It wasn't as if no one else had said something similar. When he said it, however…it meant much more to her. Did he even realize…She found her eyes on him again. She had no pictures of him; she had nothing to remember him by besides the times that they had spent together.

She wanted the airport to be far, far away so that they would never have to part. However despite her wishing, the airport came into view and her heart dropped. The car drove closer and closer to their destination and Jun averted her eyes until they stopped in the parking lot. Slowly, she got out of the car and went to the backseat and took out her luggage. She began to roll it towards the curb, but before she got to it she was stopped by Kazuya. He had gotten out of the car as well and locked the door. Was he planning to see her off? She smiled lightly at him. He wore a serious expression—it gave her no clue to what he would do next. He came up to her closer and then lifted her up easily in his arms. The hand that held the luggage, released it immediately.

"What are you doing?" Jun asked in a surprised voice.

"I'm holding you. It makes people feel better," Kazuya's voice rumbled softly in her ear.

Tears sprang to her eyes as her mind flashed back to the moment that he had been referring to. It had been so long ago, it seemed, but now it was as if it had happened just yesterday. He wasn't quite as naïve as he had been before and he spoke those words in such a way in her ears—she knew that it had meant something more.

No, she didn't want to leave him once again that day, but she did.

/

AN: Sorry for the wait, readers. I've been way too busy to type anything for a long time and I'm only back briefly. I'll try to come out with another chapter soon, but don't count on it until after finals two weeks from now. Anyways, stay tuned. I predict two to three more chapters before I finally start on Tekken 2. I can't wait and I know you're just sitting on the edge of your seats with impatience for it. Maybe by the time I get to Tekken 6, there'll already be a Tekken 7. Who knows?