A/N: A quick update? Surely not? Thanks for the reviews for the last chapter, as ever! Ilu guys. This one is mostly Hwoarang being daft and Xiao trying to piece things together, so not much action... but let me know how you liked it anyhow. :) Oh yeah, by the way, I was wondering whether any of you would like me to share the songs whose lyrics are featured here so you can listen to them? If you like, I can make a post on my LJ with the Never Ever 'playlist' and link it in my profile. Let me know.

NEVER EVER

Be by my side even on the days when my heart is covered in snow

I'm so grateful for the quiet smiles you give me.

Chapter Ten: Puzzle
I wake up to the sound of birdsong, and when I roll onto my back I can see Hwoarang sitting up in bed, his hand to his forehead, eyes closed.

"Morning." I say lazily, and he looks over at me with a smile.

"Mind if I ask what you're doing here?"

"How could you say such a thing? Did last night mean nothing to you?" I mock, copying his line from yesterday, and he shakes his head, yawning.

"Well it can't have been that good if I don't remember it." He grins. "I'm disappointed, Xiao. But seriously, why are you here? Did you get locked out or something?"

If only that were the reason. I sit up, straightening out my jacket, trying not to think about the weirdness that went on with Jin. But how can I not think about it? That's the reason I'm here. I was scared. I didn't want to be alone, I wanted to feel safe.

"I felt like talking." I tell Hwoarang. "But you were asleep, and then I couldn't remember what I did with my key, and I couldn't be bothered to go all the way down to reception and get a new one, so I figured you wouldn't mind."

"What time?"

"Umm... about three thirty, I think."

"Not like you to be awake at that time."

"Hey, things change. I've had two years to screw up my body clock, remember?"

He winces. "I guess I've missed a few things, huh?"

"Anyway, what about you?" I ask. "You have a bad dream? You jumped."

"How do you know?"

"I was half awake, stupid. So what was it?"

His smile falters, and he turns away.

"I don't remember."

"Oh come on. Nothing?"

"Well..."

He trails off, staring down at the covers, and I start to feel uneasy.

" I think it involved... being chased by that secretary." He murmurs. "Yeah, I think that was it. And I didn't want to be infected, so I was running like hell, but somehow she was faster than me, and then I tripped--"

"Okay..."

"And she grabbed hold of my--"

"Okay, I get it!" I interrupt, laughing. "I don't think I need to hear any more."

"It was one of those really real dreams, y'know? When you can almost feel everything that's happening?"

I roll my eyes. "I don't think I like where this is going."

He smirks, looking under the covers at himself.

"Hmm, nah, it can't have been real. No signs of mistreatment..."

"I'm surprised you can tell, with something so small." I snit, and he sighs at me.

"You wouldn't think that if you saw it, babe."

"No, I wouldn't think. I'd know."

"Okay, that's it." He says, mock-angrily, grabbing my hand. "Let's see if we can change your mind, shall we?"

I pull my hand from his with a squeal, skittering backwards and nearly falling off the end of the bed, and he laughs at me, throwing the covers off and getting up, stretching.

"Aw, you're wearing pajama bottoms." I say. "How mean. Getting my hopes up like that." His hands fly straight to the waistband of the aforementioned pjs, and I flee into the bathroom, giggling.

"You're mad, you know that?" I call to him, and I can hear him laughing to himself. "Hey, Hwoarang, you don't mind if I borrow your toothbrush do you?"

"Nah, it's fine."

The sky's clear and gloriously blue, and I'm eating chocolate as I walk across the icy courtyard, so all is well. I'd been planning on doing some training this morning, but I'm not in the right frame of mind at the moment. Hwoarang's teasing earlier was enough to keep my mind off it, and keep me smiling, but walking past signposts that pointed towards the forest clearing brought everything flooding back and a huge cloud of pissed-offness descended over me. So I decided to alleviate it with chocolate. So far, it's working.

I stop in front of a bench and sit down, snuggling down into my scarf and watching the flowers as they sway in the light breeze. The tournament this time is a little different. For one thing, we didn't have to sit through a long, boring Heihachi speech. And for another, rules are posted on notice-boards around the hotel and grounds. Nothing's changed much in the rules, except we're not allowed to watch the fights this time around. Only the two competitors are allowed in the fighting arena, which sucks. It means I can't study anyone's techniques, which I guess is the whole point. But still, I don't like it. I have to wonder why Heihachi changed it, too.

I stretch my legs and cross them at the ankle, crumpling up the chocolate wrapper and stuffing it in my pocket, and stare up at the sky. This is definitely not what I'd hoped for when I dreamed of meeting Jin again. It's stupid, but I imagined we'd have a happy reunion and spend the rest of the tournament meeting up and talking and doing boyfriendy-girlfriendy things, and cheering each other on in matches. How naive of me. Of course it was never gonna work out that way. I shouldn't have even expected it to. Jin's still as much of a puzzle as he ever was.

Last night, (this morning, whatever) he said that he was scared for me. Why would he be scared? And didn't he say he was scared for himself? Could it be something to do with Toshin? Like maybe he didn't manage to beat him? No, that can't be it. If that was the reason, then Toshin would've killed him. No way would Toshin have let Jin live. That thing wasn't exactly Mr. Reasonable.

So then, what?

I frown, trying to sort out all the information I have.

Okay, one: Jin was scared for himself, and for me.

Two: He said something happened to him.

Three: That weird Jin-but-not-Jin voice in my head.

Four: That last dream I had where Jin kinda killed me.

It all points to some weird goings on in Jin's head, I think. Jun wants me to help him and not give up on him, I know that much. Plus, I know I can piss people off big-time if I try, but I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that the Jin in my dream who killed me wasn't himself. Then there's the whole black chest tattoo thing. Jin doesn't have one of those. So that Jin must have been the Jin-but-not-Jin that got in my head yesterday. Ugh, listen to me. I'm the one who sounds damned crazy here.

I shake my head, standing up and turning towards the hotel. About time for something proper to eat, I think. The match-ups for tomorrow are gonna be announced later this afternoon. I might call Miharu and whine at her for a bit after dinner, once I find out who I'm fighting this time. As I approach the double doors, one of them swings open, and I stop, eyes wide. It's him. Even wearing dark glasses, I can tell, just by the uneasy feeling I get, the sensation of danger and darkness. The spiky hair kinda clues me in too.

Kazuya glances at me as he passes by, and I feel my heart skip a beat, my stomach flutter, and an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. I remember a cold day, birdsong, icy grass and his arms around me.

Me?

No, wait. What?

That's not your memory.

I take a breath, walking into the lobby and sitting down in a chair near the door. My heart slows back to normal, stomach settling. Of course it wasn't my memory. It was Jun's. A faint ache sparks to life behind my left eye. Great. Migraine. Just what I needed.

It may not be normal

But maybe it's inevitable

I won't forget this feeling that I have something I must protect.

--- Grateful Days, Ayumi Hamasaki