A/N: I know I said it wouldn't take long to update, but I got a bit distracted. So apologies my faithful readers. Let's get this show on the road!
Disclaimer: I do not own the popular Namco fighting series Tekken or any of its characters. I do own the rights to this story since I am the soul creator of its plot and all of the original characters featured. ; So please, NO STEALING MY IDEAS. Please and thank you.
"Pent Up"
Xiaoyu and Steve stared at each other intently, waiting on the other to make a move. After thirty seconds of standing, Steve decided to make the first move. Xiaoyu was surprised when his right fist came flying towards her. She held her arms up in defense, blocking the punch before spinning around so she was standing behind him. She thrust her palms forward and hit him in the back, causing him to stumble. She then swung her leg around in a cloud kick, knocking him to the floor. When Steve stood up, Xiaoyu dropped down into the Phoenix position and edged her way forward before going into a sweep kick, but Steve jumped over her extended leg before bringing his elbow down hard on the back of her neck. The smaller girl fell flat on her face and groaned as the back of her neck pulsed with pain, but she ignored her body's protests and pushed herself up onto the palm of her hands into a hand-stand before pushing herself up off the ground into a front flip. She landed with ease and rushed towards Steve, executing a Bayonet Thruster. Steve was knocked off his feet and sent rolling backwards across the room where he slammed into the stone wall.
"Xiaoyu's technique is pretty unique." Asuka complimented her friend as she watched Xiaoyu and Steve run back towards each other for another go. "She's pretty quick on her feet."
"I think her size helps her out a lot." Christie said as she observed the match. "She's short, but she doesn't weigh very much either. She sticks to a strict diet so her weight doesn't go over one-thirty. She's pretty dedicated."
Asuka nodded and couldn't help but to flinch as the sound of Steve's fist connecting with Xiaoyu's jaw reached her ears. She raised a hand to her own jaw and rubbed it, having felt the pain of the blow from afar.
Steve charged Xiaoyu once more and executed a Cyclone Punch before hitting her with a right, then a left jab. The left jab was strong enough to knock the wind out of Xiaoyu and she doubled over, clutching her womb as she gasped for breath, but Steve wasn't going to go easy on her and came back in full force with a Ten Count Punch then an Uppercut. Xiaoyu gasped as her body was propelled up into the air before she landed with a thud on the matted floor below her.
"Match." Christie called out and Xiaoyu pushed herself up weakly. She had blood streaming down her lips from her nose. She smirked and wiped it away while Steve offered her his hand to help her stand up. She took it gratefully and nodded before backing a few steps away from him and raising her hands again.
"You sure you want to continue?" he asked.
"We're fighting by the rules of the tournament remember." She said with a soft smile. "Best two out of three. I'm not backing down, and you'd better not hold back on me."
Steve smirked before raising his fists once more. This time, Xiaoyu decided to start off the round with a Crescent Moon Kick. The heel of her foot came down hard and Steve stumbled back. He raised his arms in defense, blocking Xiaoyu as she sent three punches his way. When she realized he wasn't going to give up, she dropped back down into the Phoenix using her Flapping Wings move. The opened palms of her hand struck Steve twice- across the face and across his chest. He used his elbow and slammed it against her back so she could fall on her face once more, but Xiaoyu wasn't going to allow it. She pushed herself up quickly and grabbed Steve's arm, pulling it behind his back before twisting it painfully and tossing him across the room. Steve landed with a thud on the mat and lay there for a moment. Just before Christie could call the match again, Steve was on his feet charging back towards Xiaoyu. He tackled her to the ground and pinned her to the mat, placing all his weight on her stomach so she'd have a harder time breaking free of his hold. She raised her arms and tried to block off his fists as he tried to get a good punch in. She blocked the first two punches, but the third knocked her right in the cheek. She cried out as her teeth sliced into the tender skin inside her mouth, leaving the rusty taste of blood on her tongue. She felt Steve's weight shift and slid her right leg out from beneath him to push him off her. She then rolled up onto her feet and ran towards him. She did a front flip into the air and over his head and landing gracefully behind him before using a Cloud Kick to knock him onto the ground. It took Steve longer to get up this time and Christie called the match, declaring Xiaoyu the winner.
"You stunned me with that kick." Steve said as he slowly got back onto his feet, rolling his shoulders back to relieve them of their stiffness. "What the hell?"
Xiaoyu smiled before wiping at her bloodied nose again. "We agreed not to hold anything back." She said with a confident smirk.
"Alright you two. One last round." Christie said with a smile. Steve looked her way and gave her an icy stare that caused her smile to fall quickly. She looked away from him with a sigh. Asuka noticed the exchange and placed a hand on Christie's shoulder as Xiaoyu and Steve began their final round.
"Okay, I wasn't too sure earlier, but now I'm convinced that something happened." Asuka said. "What's going on? I know I haven't known either of you for very long, but I thought you and Steve were close. Why the hell are you two acting so weird all of a sudden?"
"It's complicated." Christie said as she watched Steve swing a right hook directly into Xiaoyu's stomach.
The two girls turned their attention back to the battle when Steve gasped in pain. Xiaoyu had used a Peacock kick and struck him before going into a Rain Dance. Steve was able to block the final blow in the combo before bringing his arm back and throwing it forward with a great amount of force. Xiaoyu cried out in pain as Steve's fist collided with the side of her face and she was sent skidding across the floor and into one of the large-faced mirrors. She hit the mirror with such force that it shattered, sending shards of glass across the room.
"Oh my God, Xiaoyu!" Christie screamed as she ran over to her.
Asuka spared a glance towards Steve who had a look of surprise on his face. He obviously hadn't intended to hit her so hard. He jogged over to check on her as well, forgetting his issue with Christie to check their friend over. Xiaoyu sat up slowly and winced in pain as she raised a hand to the back of her head. Christie bit her bottom lip at the sight of the back of her sweat jacket covered with blood and shards from the mirror.
"I'm so sorry." Steve said. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." She said, wincing as Christie helped her stand. "It's just a few cuts. Trust me, it looks worse than it actually feels."
"Well, then I guess I won." He said with a smirk.
Xiaoyu nodded as Christie helped her walk over to her duffle bag. "Whatever boxer boy. Who's next?"
"I'm definitely up for a go." Hwoarang said.
"You can count me out." Christie said. "I need to help Xiaoyu get this glass out before her cuts get infected. I'll meet up with you guys later."
"I'm coming too." Asuka said.
"Chickening out are we?" Hwoarang said with a smirk. "I thought you might pull an escape act on me."
"Oh, would you shut the hell up?" Asuka snapped. "I am not afraid to fight you. I can handle your sorry ass any day, anytime."
"Then how about now?" Hwoarang said. "Christie and Xiaoyu can handle the situation just fine without you. You say you have what it takes to survive in Iron Fist? Let's find out if that's true."
Asuka spared a glance at Christie who gave her a shrug. Asuka sighed before reaching into the pocket of her uniform to grab her black gloves. She pulled them on, the material audibly stretching as she began walking towards him.
"You sure you want to fight me?" she asked with a smirk.
"Yeah, yeah. Come on." Hwoarang said as he raised his arms in defense and began bouncing back and forth on the balls of his feet. Asuka sighed and fanned her hands out in front of her, taking her stance as she stared at Hwoarang intently. She was going to show this cocky jerk who he was messing with. She'd give him a fight that he would never forget.
While Christie made her way out of the room with Xiaoyu, Steve leaned up against the wall, eager to see how this match was going to turn out. Ever since he saw Asuka's match the previous day, he'd been eager to see for himself how much power she had. Hwoarang was right, she was a firecracker, but she was talented nonetheless.
Hwoarang took a deep breath before running towards Asuka at top speed before executing an axe kick. She blocked his foot with ease and spun around quickly into an opened palm-thrust that sent him stumbling back, but he was on her again in a hot second. He offered her one punch, then another before using a Rejection Kick to send her off her feet and rolling back across the floor. Asuka placed her hands to the ground to stop herself before pushing herself up and back onto her feet, but Hwoarang was on her again like a heat-sensing missile, unloading a barrage of kicks and punches that were hard to detect. Asuka growled angrily before throwing a right hook across Hwoarang's face, snapping his head violently to the left. She then stomped on his foot causing him to hunch over. She jumped a step back before going into a Spinning Heel-Drop, kicking Hwoarang clear across the room. He was stunned for a moment and Asuka smiled, thinking she had won the match, but Hwoarang was back on his feet in no time and ran towards her before tackling her to the floor.
"What the hell?" she shouted as he sat on her legs to restrain them before he sucker punched her across the jaw. Asuka bit back a string of curses as her vision blurred momentarily, her head spinning. She felt like she was going to puke, her insides spinning along with her head. Hwoarang sent another blow to her face and she was literally seeing stars at that point. She knew she had to think fast or she could potentially lose the match.
With a ferocious growl, Asuka raised an arm to block his next punch and caught his fist in the process. She bent his hand backwards painfully and smirked as he grit his teeth in pain. She then used her free arm to punch him in the gut. Hwoarang released a winded sound as he doubled over in pain, giving Asuka the perfect opportunity to clock him in the jaw. Now free from her restraints, Asuka rolled backwards and back onto her feet. She hunched over, her shoulders heaving as she did her best to catch her breath. She spared a glance at her opponent, her eyes meeting the back of his red head, as she watched him stand to his feet slowly. He turned to face her, a satisfied smirk on his face. Asuka could see a bruise forming on his bloodied cheek from her last blow and couldn't help but to smirk back.
All fun and games aside, the smirk dropped from Hwoarang's face as he ran back towards her. He leaped high into the air and Asuka jumped back as he swung his leg down in a slicing motion, his foot slamming against the practice mat where Asuka had been standing seconds before. Asuka ran back towards him as he landed, a battle cry escaping her lips as she started up a combo of spinning kicks, opened palm thrusts before ending with a spinning heel drop and knocking Hwoarang up into the air with a move known as the Demon Slayer. Hwoarang landed with a thud on the mat and Asuka's eyes darted towards Steve who was watching their match in interest. Why hadn't he called the match yet?
Asuka's question was answered when Hwoarang leaned back on his right forearm and sent a straight-legged kick into her chin. The force was strong enough to cause Asuka to bite down on her tongue and she cried out in pain. Hwoarang jumped back onto his feet and struck Asuka with several blizzard kicks. The first four were successful hits, but she managed to catch his foot on his fifth kick before spinning to her right quickly and elbowing him in the chest. Hwoarang recovered quickly and leaped into the air to complete a Hunting Hawk combo, his foot slamming against Asuka's back, but she too recovered quickly. With an angry growl, she grabbed hold of his shoulders and he followed suit, his hands going to her shoulders as the two of them pushed against each other, struggling for dominance.
"Come on guys, just call it a draw. Your minute is up." Steve's voice echoed around them. "Neither of you can manage to get the other down long enough for me to call the match."
Asuka and Hwoarang ignored their friend's protests as they locked eyes, his green meeting her brown. Hwoarang had to admit, he was impressed that Asuka had managed to withstand all his attacks up to this point. Under normal circumstances, he would have already won the match, leaving his opponent a bloodied and bruised mess on the arena floor, but Asuka was different. The only other person who had ever managed to last this long when he was in the lead was Jin.
Hwoarang's thoughts came to an abrupt halt when Asuka's eyes narrowed, a determination flaming in her eyes. He could feel himself starting to fall back as she pushed her palms harder against his shoulders, her fingernails digging into their skin. He pushed back, hoping to gain the upper hand, but Asuka wouldn't allow him. Hwoarang's eyes widened in shock as a burning sensation swam across his shoulders. Hwoarang could see a faint blue glow resonating from her palms, but before he could question her, he found himself being thrown across the room by a brute force. Asuka's eyes widened in surprise as she watched Hwoarang slam against the floor mat before skidding over to the metal doors of the practice room. His back slammed against the doors and he groaned as he tried to recover from the match.
"What the hell was that?" Steve asked as he jogged over to her.
Asuka looked down at her hands and began to flex her fingers as she observed them. She had seen the blue energy expelling from her hands just moments before she had sent Hwoarang flying across the room, but how had she done it?
Asuka and Steve's attention diverted away from the strange occurrence and back to Hwoarang who was busy shouting profanities across the room as he slid away from the door and stood to his feet. Steve was shocked to see a huge dent in the metal object from the impact of Hwoarang's crash.
"You mind telling me what the hell that was Kazama?" he spat as he hunched over and rubbed his aching back.
"I-I don't know," she stammered as she looked down at her hands nervously. She had started shaking and she was unsure as to why. Sure, she was glad that she had won the round, but she had gotten help from an unknown force and she wasn't too sure how to handle that factor. That blue energy had welled up inside of her when she and Hwoarang were evenly matched and her determination to beat him caused that energy to propel itself from her core and into her arms, giving her an incredible amount of strength. This wasn't the first time it had happened either she recalled as she thought back to her placement match against Yoshimitsu.
Asuka took a step back, her eyes never leaving her hands. Hwoarang looked up, prepared to give the girl a berating, but he paused when he saw the fear in her eyes as she looked down at her hands. Clearly, she hadn't intended to attack him at all with the strange power.
"Asuka…" he started to say, but she was already on the move. He and Steve watched in confusion as the brunette ran to grab her drawstring bag. Hwoarang reached out to her as she ran past him, but she was too quick and was halfway down the hall before he could grab her. Hwoarang was utterly confused by what had just transpired. He spared a glance at Steve who looked equally confused over the situation. What the heck was going on?
Asuka stumbled through the courtyard doors of the hotel, her legs burning from how fast she had been running. She wasn't too sure why she had been so desperate to get out of the practice room in the first place, but it was too late to turn back now. The brunette took a shaky breath as she tried to calm herself before walking across the courtyard towards a large fountain in its center. There were hundreds of flowers and a few trees decorating the courtyard and the fountain seemed to add to its beauty. The courtyard was very peaceful and it seemed to ease Asuka's nerves the further into it she walked. She moved to the fountain's edge, kicking off her shoes and dropping her drawstring bag beside them before rolling up her pants legs to her thighs before climbing onto the fountain ledge and sliding her feet into the water. The water was freezing cold, but it too seemed to put the girl at ease as it numbed her feet.
Asuka took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she thought over the match once more. That power…just where had it come from? Perhaps her quest for revenge had unlocked some hidden potential inside her that she never knew existed. Whatever the reason, the power was unsettling and she wasn't sure why.
"You know there's a day spa inside where you can pamper your feet right?" a man's voice came from behind her.
Asuka looked over her shoulder and smiled at the sight of Lei Wulong strolling towards her dressed in an opened, blue kung-fu jacket with black kung-fu pants and black martial arts shoes. Asuka recognized the outfit from the previous Iron Fist Tournament.
"Maybe I enjoy the serenity of being outside over being fussed over by spa workers?" Asuka said with a soft smile before turning her attention to the abstract statue resting in the center of the fountain.
Lei walked to take a seat beside her, not bothering to put his feet in the water. Instead, he chose to sit in a lotus position on the fountain's ledge, his hands resting on his thighs as he stared at his young companion.
"Something the matter?" he asked casually.
Asuka bit her bottom lip, unsure of whether or not she should voice her concerns to him. Even though he was kind enough to bring her with him to the tournament, she still knew very little about the man. Still, his presence was calming and she knew deep down that she could trust him.
"I don't even know where to begin." She admitted honestly.
"You could start by telling me why you look so terrible. It figured the infirmary workers would've cleaned you up after yesterday's match."
Asuka raised a hand to her cheek and flinched as her fingertips met with a bruise. "I just finished a sparring match with Hwoarang. Things got a little intense I guess you could say."
The two of them remained silent for a while as Asuka's hand traveled from the bruise to her blood stained lips. Lei was a patient man as he waited for her to continue.
"You said that you and my Aunt Jun were good friends?" Asuka questioned him.
Lei's eyes widened with surprise. He certainly wasn't expecting Asuka to change topics so suddenly.
"Yes, she and I were pretty close. Why do you ask?"
Asuka bit her bottom lip as she tried to think of a way to carefully phrase her question without coming off as some sort of nut case.
"I was trained in Kazama-Styled Martial Arts starting at the age of four. My Aunt Jun had the fighting style mastered and she even mentored me from time to time when I was younger. My dad and mom always tell me how much we're alike. So now that I'm having this problem, I'm starting to wonder if she had it too. Did you ever watch my aunt fight?"
Lei's expression grew concerned. "Yes, several times actually. We fought side by side while investigating the Mishima Zaibatsu."
"For the past few days, during my matches with both Yoshimitsu and Hwoarang, I sort of…lose control. It's like my anger boils up to its breaking point and I am overcome with this intense feeling of power. It starts in my core and works its way up to wherever I am forcing out the most energy. It's so strange Detective Wulong. I can see it. The energy that I am expelling is visible to the human eye and it is so strong. It's how I defeated Yoshimitsu and it's what caused me to send Hwoarang flying into a metal door a while ago. I guess what I'm asking is if you know what this energy is. If my aunt had something similar happen to her."
Lei's eyes softened in understanding. "You really are just like her, you know that?"
"So it happened to her too?"
Lei chuckled as he rested a hand on her shoulder. "You really don't know too much about your aunt do you? I'm surprised your parents haven't told you that she was a priestess of sorts."
"A priestess…" Asuka repeated slowly as she raised an eyebrow.
Lei nodded once. "Jun had this incredible aura about her that was so calming and reassuring. No matter the circumstance, she always managed to humble herself and remain in control of her emotions. When she and I first joined forces during the second tournament, she said she had to rid Kazuya of the evil presence that was plaguing his heart. Jun was always like that though, dedicated to helping others. She didn't see her service as a duty, but as a choice. Whenever I saw her use that aura, it was usually in battle and was a combined force of her determination to win along with her spiritual powers. If you are experiencing the same power, I would assume that you inherited the spiritual powers that she possessed as well."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, I am no priestess." Asuka said as she shook her head in disbelief. "Besides, this has never happened to me up until I came here for the tournament. Why?"
Lei's eyes narrowed as his face washed over with seriousness. "There have been rumors floating around that no one knows who called this tournament. Usually, the head of the Mishima Zaibatsu calls Tekken into effect. Hehachi called the first, third, and fourth tournaments while Kazuya called the second. The two of them are usually working to lure the other out for their own selfish reasons; but with Hehachi dead and with no one to take over the Zaibatsu at this time, there's no telling who called this tournament to be. If your spiritual powers are starting to have an effect on your fighting, I would say there's a reason to worry."
"I feel like there's something more to this tournament. Something we aren't seeing."
Asuka's brow furrowed in thought as she recalled her words to Xiaoyu and Christie the other night. She had no way of explaining it, but she knew then that something was off about the tournament. There was more than just a nagging feeling in the back of her mind telling her to keep her guard up. There was the overwhelming feeling of fear in the pit of her stomach that something bad was going to happen.
"Listen kiddo, I don't know much about spiritual powers, but I think you should take advantage of them while you can. I saw your match with the Manji Clan member and you really did a number on him. With strength like that on your side, you'll do fine in the tournament."
Asuka smiled thankfully at the detective before sliding her feet out of the fountain. They quickly found their way into her sandals once more as she rolled the legs of her pants back down and grabbed her drawstring bag.
"Thanks." She said before walking back inside.
"Anytime kiddo." Lei said before turning to stare across the courtyard.
Christie was sitting beside Xiaoyu on her bed as she screwed the peroxide cap back on its bottle. She placed the cleaning solution back into the first aid kit she had snagged from the front desk and smiled at her friend who was busy picking shards of glass from her pigtails.
"Steve really packs a punch, doesn't he?" she joked as she tossed the shards into the trashcan by the foot of the bed.
"Yeah, he does." Christie agreed as she stared off into space.
"Alright Christie, no one else is around now. Can you please tell me what happened between you and Steve? The tension between you two was so thick that a sword couldn't slice through it. Everything was fine before we met in the training room, so what happened?"
Christie sighed as she ran her fingers through her loose hair. "Honestly, I don't know. Everything was fine between us until I ran into Eddy."
Xiaoyu's eyebrows peaked with interest at the mentioning of Christie's Capoeira instructor. Christie spared a glance at her younger friend out the corner of her eye and sighed.
"When my grandpa got sick, Eddy bailed on us. He took off without a word of where he was going or when he'd be back. I was so angry at him for leaving me all alone to bear the pain and when I saw him, I confronted him about it. Steve came to find me while Eddy and I were hugging and he's been so cold towards me since then. I don't understand why he got so upset."
"I do." Xiaoyu said with a soft smile as she rested her hand on top of Christie's. "Christie, you and Steve are very close to one another. Closer than close actually. How many times has Steve comforted you when Eddy made you upset? He's been there through your pain and torment and seeing you with the guy who is the main cause of your hurt probably upset him a little. Well, that and the fact that the guy is totally into you."
Christie's cheeks burned a deep shade of crimson at Xiaoyu's accusation and she shook her head quickly to try and relieve herself of her embarrassment.
"What are you talking about Xiaoyu? Steve and I are just friends, companions, and nothing more."
"Christie, you're in denial. I've seen the way you two look at each other and there is definitely something there. You two are good together in my opinion, practically perfect. Steve was probably upset that you were with Eddy because he feels like he's in competition when it comes to your love."
"What do you mean competition Xiaoyu? There is no competition! There is nothing happening between me and Eddy and there isn't anything with me and Steve."
"Christie, you're in denial."
Christie bit her bottom lip as she pondered her friend's suggestion, but she quickly regained her composure when there was a knock at the door. Xiaoyu called out for their visitor to enter and the girls were thoroughly surprised when Steve and Hwoarang walked into the room. Hwoarang had taken quite the beating from what they could tell.
"Mind if we borrow that first aid kit?" Steve asked as he motioned his head towards the box lying on the bed beside Christie.
She nodded slowly before cautiously standing to hand to box to Steve. They locked eyes and Christie could still see the pain within them. Perhaps Xiaoyu was right all along. Had her actions with Eddy truly caused him this much misery?
"What happened?" she asked, their eyes still locked.
"Asuka won the first round of their match and stormed off." He said as he tore his gaze away from hers and turned his attention to a surprised Xiaoyu. "It was so strange. That same blue energy that we saw during her match against Yoshimitsu appeared again and she sent Hwoarang flying. We haven't seen her since she stormed out of the room."
"It was a cheap shot, that's all." Hwoarang muttered as he snatched the first aid kit out of Christie's hands and moved to take a seat at the end of Xiaoyu's bed. "She was pissed off that I was winning and she hit me. It was no big deal."
"No big deal?" Steve repeated as a smirk worked its way onto his lips. "Hwo, you left a dent in the door."
Xiaoyu and Christie did their best to suppress their laughter as Hwoarang unscrewed the peroxide cap and applied it to a few of his injuries. The friends grew silent for a while and Xiaoyu snatched up the remote to turn on the television. There was some sort of Super Sentai series on the television screen and she and Hwoarang watched absent-mindedly as they finished tending to their injuries.
Christie and Steve suddenly found each other's gaze again and Steve darted his eyes away quickly. Christie sighed, fed up with the awkward tension between them before taking his hand in hers. Steve was startled by the sudden gesture and turned to her. He could see the pleading look in her eyes and he sighed before allowing her to lead him out of the room.
Xiaoyu and Hwoarang exchanged a glance before smiling knowingly at one another.
"I bet you twenty bucks he kisses her." Hwoarang said.
Xiaoyu rolled her eyes before turning up the volume with the remote control.
Christie pulled her room key out of her back pocket and slid it into the key slot before pushing the door open and tugging Steve inside. He sighed as he released her hand and walked over to collapse on the couch. Christie closed the door and sighed as she rested her forehead against its wooden surface. She could feel Steve's gaze resting on her back and her stomach began to flutter nervously.
So it seemed that she wasn't as good at hiding her feelings as she originally thought. Steve was a great guy and she knew that he genuinely cared about her; but she felt that being in a relationship would complicate the tournament. Just look at her situation with Eddy. True, she and Eddy weren't romantically involved, but she couldn't deny the romantic attraction between her and her mentor. It was that very attraction that caused Eddy to push her away. He didn't want it to interfere with their goals in life- his path for revenge and her path to success.
But Steve and Eddy were very different on so many playing fields. Christie turned around slowly to face Steve who was watching her intently from his place on the sofa. She walked over to him, her feet brushing against the plush carpet beneath her feet as she moved to take a seat beside him. She cleared her throat before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"I think we need to clear the air a bit." She said as she focused her attention on the wooden door across the room. When Steve didn't answer, she took a deep breath. "I hate that you're upset with me. Better yet, I want to know why you're even upset with me in the first place. Steve, you're one of my closest friends and I hate that you're mad at me. Please, talk to me."
Christie finally turned her head in the direction of the British blonde. His eyes were still focused on her, the sadness melting away as it was replaced by a look of uncertainty.
"You told me that Eddy abandoned you and your grandfather after you got sick." Steve started. "You were so angry with him and mad at yourself for being blindsided by his departure. Christie, I can still remember the sound of your sobs coming through my cell phone when you called me that night. You were so angry that he would up and leave you again. You felt betrayed, hurt, and alone. I was there for you, don't you remember?"
"Of course I remember." She said with a soft smile as she rested her hand on his thigh.
"You said you would never forgive him for abandoning you like that Christie, yet I find the two of you embracing each other as though none of that happened and what happens? The guy leaves you behind again. He shows up here at the tournament and doesn't even tell you he's entering. Better yet, he didn't even tell you why he left in the first place. I don't want to see you hurt again."
Christie studied his face for a moment, taking in the sight of his hardened jawline and the baby blue eyes she had grown to love. She reached a hand up gently and cupped his cheek, earning a look of surprise from him.
"I won't allow him to hurt me anymore than he already has." She promised him. "I'm sorry that I upset you. Please, can we forget about this and get back to normal? I hated having you upset with me."
Christie's fingertips skimmed across his cheek as she dropped her hand from his face, but Steve caught her hand mid-fall. Christie gasped as she locked eyes with him. Before she could make sense of what was happening, Steve had leaned in and pressed his lips to her in a passionate kiss. Christie's eyes widened at the sudden gesture and she could feel Steve hesitate when her lips wouldn't respond. When she felt his shoulders slump and he began to pull away, she grabbed his face between the palms of her hands and crashed her lips against his eagerly.
Christie was filled with an indescribable warmth, a want, a desperate need that had to be fulfilled. Her hands found their way to his spiked tresses and she combed through them as her lips worked against his diligently. His hands moved around her hips as he pulled her closer to him. She moved, their lips never breaking contact as she repositioned herself so she was straddling his lap. She could feel how much he wanted her, but she knew they weren't ready to make that kind of step. So instead, she broke the kiss and the two of them struggled to catch their breath.
The two of them locked eyes for a moment and couldn't stop the childish grins from warming their faces. Steve leaned forward, placing a kiss on her forehead before moving so he was lying back against the armrest, pulling Christie down to lie beside him. The two of them lay like that for a while, wrapped in each other's arms as they contemplated where to go from there.
Asuka stepped off the elevator and scratched the back of her head as she made her way towards the dining hall. She had just finished taking another shower and had slid on a pair of light blue denim jeans, a yellow short-sleeved crop top, and a pair of white flip flops. Her shoes flopped noisily against the tiled floor as she made her way into the restaurant. She paused in the doorway when she spied Hwoarang sitting at the island counter chatting with the bartender. The two of them wore flirtatious smiles on their faces as they laughed happily. Asuka felt her stomach churn at the sight, but ignored them as she moved towards the buffet table that had been set up.
There were at least fifty prepared dishes lying on the tabletop that ranged not only in taste but in culture. The hotel staff was well aware that the competitors in the tournament all came from various backgrounds and nationalities and they had whipped up several different dishes to please their guests. After staring at the selections for a while, Asuka settled on a plate of orange chicken and rice along with Teriyaki pepper steak. She took her plate over to a far corner so she wouldn't have to be troubled with seeing Hwoarang and the bartender.
Just as she broke apart her chopsticks to eat her meal, the spiky haired red-head plopped down in the chair across from her. Asuka sighed before looking up to meet his irritated gaze.
"Something bothering you?" she asked nonchalantly as she resumed eating her meal.
"You're damn right something's bothering me. You walked out on our match earlier."
Asuka shrugged. "I saw no need in continuing the fight. After that final blow I dealt you, I knew you wouldn't be getting back up anytime soon. I won, get over it."
"You and I both know you had a little extra help during that last blow. You mind telling me what the hell happened back in there?"
Asuka's eyes narrowed dangerously low as she set her chopsticks down. "Go back to your bartender Hwoarang. I don't have time to argue with you right now."
His look softened, but the frown on his face remained. "I don't think you meant to do it. I saw the look of fear in your eyes when you threw me and ran off and so did Steve."
Asuka's lips formed into a thin line. "I don't know what happened okay? Something inside of me just snapped, that's all. Look, I'm not in the mood to pick a fight with you right now. So why don't you just-"
Attention all Tekken fighters, please report to the lobby to view your matches for round one of the Iron Fist Tournament Five.
Hwoarang and Asuka looked towards the doorway where the intercom speaker's voice could be heard out in the hall. They then turned their attention back to each other.
Hwoarang smirked and Asuka growled before tossing her chopsticks down and heading out of the restaurant. Hwoarang followed close behind her, the two of them stopping within the crowd of tournament competitors as they all stared up at the large overhead screen.
It took a moment for the monitor to blink to life and a few seconds later, names appeared on the match list. Asuka's eyes scanned over the list in search of her name. They paused when she finally spotted her name beside a Lee Chaolan. Asuka raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliarity of the name. The two of them were the fifth match scheduled for tomorrow in an artic zone known as Polar Paradise. Asuka made a mental note that she would need to wash her Aikido uniform to stay warm for the match. She then turned her attention to Hwoarang who had a thoughtful look on his face. After looking back at the board, she saw that he was the first match tomorrow against Paul Phoenix, a fighter who is praised in the Tekken realm for his years of servitude.
"Should make for an interesting match." Asuka said as she folded her arms across her chest. "You're going up against an Iron Fist legend. Scared?"
Hwoarang smirked as he spared a glance her way. "No way in hell am I scared of that old bastard. I've fought him before, he isn't so tough. Now you're in for a tough battle. Lee Chaolan has lightning fast kicks. I will admit that if you beat him, I will be thoroughly impressed. Don't worry about losing. If you do lose the match, you still have one chance of redemption before you're kicked out of the tournament."
"Oh, would you shut the hell up." Asuka snapped before spinning on her heels and stomping back towards the restaurant.
Hwoarang watched her go silently before turning his attention back to the match board. Although he'd never admit it, he knew facing Paul was going to be a challenge. After all, the guy was a legend.
A/N: And there you have it folks. Once again, I'm sorry that it took me so long to update after I promised that it wouldn't, but when I put a story on the backburner for whatever reason, sometimes I forget about it for a while. Well, I'm back now and I hope you all are still willing to stick with me through this fanfiction journey. See you next time!
-KairiAngel13