A/N: Look, the Madame's still among the living! Argh, sorry it took absolutely ages for this chapter, I had the plan all done, but the actual writing the chapter part of my head decided it was going to be a bitch and make things difficult. But we got there in the end! Thanks for the reviews for chapter 13, and I'd love it if you reviewed this chapter and told me what you thought!

NEVER EVER

When the tips of your dreams

Pierce your chest even deeper

I'll be here, I'll always be by your side.

Chapter 14: Flowers

I'm in the gym, standing in front of a raggy looking training dummy, my hair sticking to my face and neck, clothes soaked in sweat, breathing hard and feeling utterly gross. At least there's only a few of us in here right now. I don't think I could handle a packed gym, crowds never fail to annoy me - as Miharu can testify due to always being the one who gets the brunt of my irritation when we're shopping in the sales - so it'd just put me in a worse mood than I'm in already.

For some reason, I woke up in a temper this morning. So, rather than subject anyone else to my mood, I've spent all day putting that negative, pent-up energy into beating the hell out of the training dummies in the gym. And I still have heaps more of the aforementioned energy to spare. I suppose the main reason I feel so irritable is because I've hardly had any sleep. I'm snappy and mean when I don't get my full eight hours, and this morning after my dream, sleep decided it was gonna sit itself down just out of reach and stay there, mocking me. So I threw the covers off at about seven, threw the pillows at the wall, tried to have a nice relaxing shower, and only succeeded in scalding my hand on the water. Needless to say, that little incident didn't improve my mood any.

"Hey, Xiaoyu!"

It's Christie's voice, but I don't turn to face her. I'm still focused on the dummy, contemplating whether to kick it around some more.

"I've been looking for you! Wanna get something to eat in a bit?"

"No thanks," I reply cooly. "I'm good."

"Aw, too bad. And I was gonna share this chocolate with you."

I straighten up, brushing myself down half-heartedly as I turn around.

"I'm not so addicted to chocolate that I --- "

I stop myself as soon as I see what she's holding. Argh, it's the praline type with caramel in it, the type I can only usually get out of the school vending machines, and therefore have been craving all summer. Christie's laughing, and she pulls the bar away as soon as I reach out a little.

"What was that you were just saying?"

"Uh, where did you get that?" I ask, trying to sound mild and not to let my rabid longing for praline show in my expression.

"You gonna come with me or not?"

I glance over at the clock. It's just past midday, and I pick up my water bottle and take a long swig. It's been sitting there for over two hours, therefore it's taken on that bitter, lukewarm flavour, and I grimace as I screw the top back on.

"Okay. I could do with a rest."

"And a shower." Christie looks at the damp patches on my vest and makes a face. "Just sayin'."

I decide to forgo the gym showers in favour of giving the one in my room a chance to redeem itself, and after I've used the lavender and camomile shower gel my mother bought for me to take along, I feel a lot more relaxed, and a lot less inclined to beat the stuffing out of a training dummy for half a day. See, if the shower had only done what it was supposed to this morning, it might have saved me a lot of energy. Rough drying my hair with the towel, I glance around the hotel room for my backpack. I shoved my bright yellow washbag in it the night before I got here, and there should be a new stick of deodorant in there, if I remember right.

The backpack is lying crumpled against the wall, where I threw it a few days ago, and rather than search through it like any normal person would, I decide to tip everything onto the floor to save me some time, since Christie's waiting for me in the lobby. It's a bad idea, incidentally. Out falls my makeup bag, body spray, spare tee shirt for sleeping in, and the hardback folklore textbook that my mother insisted I bring along so I can study for my exams. And of course, when choosing an appropriate place to land, said textbook just has to home in on my foot, doesn't it?

I scream in pain and anger, kicking the offending book with my good foot and sending it flying against the wall, where it balances on its spine for a few seconds before falling open on a double page illustration of Yuki-onna, the snow demon. Kicking it gives me no sense of satisfaction, though, because now my good foot hurts, too. Now, my usual (over)reaction in this case would probably be to write the entire day off and just go back to bed. But I'm in a persistent sort of mood, and since Christie still has that bar of chocolate that she promised to share, I'm sure the day can only get better from here. So I get dressed and dry my hair as best I can with the damp towel I was using a moment ago, throw the hapless textbook an evil glare, and then hurry down to the lobby.

The sun may be drenching the gardens but it's still bitterly cold as me and Christie walk towards the cafe. My damp hair is probably making a significant contribution to how freezing I am, though, come to think of it. Christie's telling me about her match against Steve when one of the hotel side doors swings open and Hwoarang stumbles out, stops, and rubs his eyes.

"What's up with you?" asks Christie, and he looks up, stifling a yawn.

"What've you been up to this time?" I ask, and Hwoarang walks over to us, but instead of stopping in front of me, he leans in close - resting near enough his whole weight against me - and drops his head onto my shoulder, mumbling something about how tired he is.

"H-hey!" I protest, shifting my feet to try and accommodate his weight, and trying to push him off at the same time. He doesn't budge. I fix Christie with a 'help me' look, and she smiles, making no move to offer assistance.

"This sucks..." Hwoarang murmurs. "Got a match but... don't think I can keep my fuckin' eyes open..."

"Well, you always make out that you could beat half the people here in your sleep." I tell him. "Now's your chance to prove it."

"Funny, Xiao."

"When's your match?" Christie asks, amused.

"Mnn..."

"Hey, c'mon." I try again to push him away, with no success. "You don't wanna be disqualified like last time, do you?"

"You were disqualified? When?"

"Last tournament." I explain.

"I overslept." Hwoarang adds in a muffled voice, face buried in my neck. I can feel his breath, warm against my skin, and his words bring a memory to the surface of struggling to sit up in the infirmary bed, tears stinging my eyes at the knowledge that I was out of the tournament, Hwoarang telling me he didn't want me to wake up and find myself alone.

"So when's your match?" Christie repeats.

"Twelve-thirty."

"Well... you have about...hmm..." she studies her chunky green watch. "...Five minutes."

"Fuck."

He quickly straightens up, shaking his head a little, most likely to clear the fog of sleep. For all my attempts at getting him to stop leaning on me, I'm a bit put out now he's moved. Only because he was warm, mind you.

"Better get running!"

"Thanks for that advice, Christie." Hwoarang scowls, and she shrugs, a picture of innocence.

"You're welcome."

It isn't long after Hwoarang's sprinted off and we've started off again through the massive flower garden that Christie spots someone sitting on one of the benches in the distance and stops, turning to me.

"Hey, isn't that the guy you were running after the other day?" She asks, nodding towards him.

The girl's got sharp eyes to recognise him, from where we're standing the bench's half obscured by rosebushes and large shrubs. Sure enough though, it's Jin, and I hesitate for a moment. Is it really worth trying to talk to him? I don't seem to be getting through anyway, so is there any point? I feel Christie's hand on my back, and she shoves me in his direction.

"Ah, the drama of a love triangle!" She says with a wink. "I'll go ahead okay? Catch up with me in a bit, it's fine."

"B-but Christie..."

"See you soon!"

She skips off before I can argue, and I cast a worried glance over at Jin. He doesn't make a move to leave, so I approach him, still uncertain.

"Hey."

"Hi."

I sit beside him, staring down at the cheerful flowers bordering the path. For a while we're both quiet, then he leans back against the bench with a sigh.

"I'm glad you're here."

I look at him, unsure whether to reply.

"I wanted to see you. I thought maybe you'd walk through here at lunchtime, so I waited."

I keep my gaze focused firmly on the yellow blossoms.

"Jin, you really need to make your mind up. The whole 'keep away from me' thing doesn't really work if you sit and wait for me, y'know."

"True." he laughs.

"If I offer to help you, are you still gonna insist that I can't?"

"Yeah."

"Thought so."

"It's something I've gotta do by myself."

"Thought so." I say again. "Well, far be it for me to interfere with family issues..."

"Hmm?"

I look up, and he's staring at me in surprise.

"What do you mean?"

"Um, you told me, remember? You said it was more dangerous than the last time. Because all three of you are together?"

"I... When did I say that?"

"Last..." I trail off, realising. Great, I'm starting to confuse my dreams with reality. That can't be healthy.

"Last...?"

"N-never mind." I answer hurriedly. Jin looks dubious, and I avoid his eyes, looking back at the flowers.

"It's the Mishima bloodline..." he murmurs after a moment. "I have to... it can't go any further..."

"So you're gonna stop it?"

"Yeah."

"How?"

"I'm sure you can figure it out, Xiao. That's why I don't want you involved."

"You think you can kill your own father? Your grandfather?"

And that was just the right thing to say, Xiao. Well done.

"It's..." He gets up off the bench. "Can we talk about something else?"

"I don't think you could kill anyone." I carry on, standing up and facing him. "That's just not you, Jin." It's like I can't control what I'm saying, like the words are spilling out of their own accord.

"Isn't it? I wish I could be as sure as you are."

Jin's reply effectively kills the conversation, and we both stand in silence, me staring down at the flowers, Jin staring straight ahead. Awkward. I wonder how I can lighten the mood?

"Hey..."

"Yeah?"

"You do realise that hoodie makes you look like a complete dork, right? I mean, I know you might think it makes you look all mysterious, but..."

Jin blinks, and for a second I don't think my silly comment had the effect I was hoping for, but then he dissolves into laughter, and the sight is enough to set me off too. I don't think I can remember the last time we laughed together like this. Hmm, wait... actually, I think the last time was probably when I took my homework to his house and he chased after me, trying to steal my biro. Maybe I haven't lost that Jin just yet.

"You know..." he tells me after he's recovered, "Being with you always makes me think that maybe things'll be okay."

I smile, and he pulls me into his arms, enveloping me in warmth. I want to tell him that when he hugs me like this, it makes me think the same, but when our eyes meet, the words dissolve on my tongue. A moment later, he leans down and kisses me, and I'm glad I didn't say anything.

Don't hesitate anymore

I'll pull the blunt thorn out of you

And cover the wound

Until the day you smile

--- Bodaiju, Tsukiko Amano